Reciprocate
by sari15
Summary: There's nothing quite like the euphoria of discovering your feelings are requited. Except maybe the fall from cloud nine when you realize the one you've been pining for has fallen for the carefully crafted image you put out there for the rest of the world to see. You can't love someone you don't even know.
1. Chapter 1

Reciprocate

 _Note: Thanks to fullmetalpotterhead for her help with beta on this._

Marinette glanced up as a small brown bag was unexpectedly shoved underneath her nose. "Alya?" She looked up to find her best friend standing in front of her like a cat who had just got the cream. Confusion marred Marinette's expression for only a moment before understanding dawned. There was only one single reason that Alya would be giving Marinette a present _today_. Her eyes widened, excitement bubbling up within her as she leaned forward and grasped Alya's arm as her joy overflowed. "You picked it up already?"

"Consider it a gift for my _very_ best friend," Alya responded, her hazel eyes sparkling with excitement as Marinette ripped the bag from her hands. "I just _really_ wanted to see your face when you read the article."

Marinette impatiently peeked into the bag to look at the cover of the magazine. She'd been anxiously awaiting it's arrival since the day the article was announced. Inside, the beautiful face of none other than Adrien Agreste stared back at her. She slammed the bag shut, squealing excitedly as she hugged the package tightly against herself. "Alya, you are the _bestest_ best friend ever. Have I told you that?"

"Not today," Alya laughed, sitting down next to Marinette on the bench. "You're supposed to take it out and _read_ it, Marinette."

 _Paris Teen_ had conducted an interview with their classmate and professional model, Adrien Agreste and Marinette had been counting down the days in anticipation of the release of the issue. She wanted to read it right now; in fact it was taking every ounce of her self-control to leave it in the bag and not devour every picture and word over and over for the rest of the day –but…

She glanced around the courtyard of the school; kids were slowly making their way into the school grounds to get ready for first period. The last thing she wanted was to be caught obsessing over her handsome classmate by any of her friends—or worse, Adrien himself. "I…I can't, Alya. Not yet."

"You're so predictable," her friend sighed as she tucked a stray strand of her unruly red hair behind her ear. Reaching down into her book bag, Alya pulled out a large textbook and shoved it into Marinette's hands as she yanked the bag with the magazine from her.

"No…" Marinette whined, reaching for the bag as Alya leaned across her to flip open the textbook on her lap while holding the bag out of her reach. "He's so pretty. Give him back!"

"Everyone will just think you are finishing up last night's Biology homework," Alya replied confidently, removing the magazine from its bag and placing it on top of the opened textbook.

Marinette's attention was instantly drawn to the devastatingly beautiful face that graced the cover, anxiety tying knots in her stomach until her friend's idea registered in her brain. "That might actually work. Alya! You're a genius!" Marinette leaned over to wrap her arms around her friend, but the textbook quickly started to slide off her lap. She frantically tried to save it before it hit the ground and damaged the magazine before she'd even had a chance to read it.

Once everything was safe and back where it belonged on her lap, Marinette exhaled gently to ease the beating of her heart from the anxiety she'd experienced. The devastatingly beautiful emerald eyes of Adrien drew her complete attention to the cover and she couldn't help herself but to trail a finger down the side of his face in a smitten daze. "I could stare at this face all day."

"The back of his head will have to do for now," Alya teased, making light of the positioning of Marinette's chair in the classroom. Alya reached over to find where the interview started and rapidly flipped the pages of the magazine to get to it, apparently getting tired of waiting for Mariette. " _Just read it!_ "

"Careful! Don't bend the pages," Marinette shrieked, pulling the textbook and magazine out of her friend's reach until she noticed the brand new picture of Adrien with his hand posed in his hair as he leaned against a giant rock in a park. Instantly she perked up. "Oh! This is a _really_ good picture too!"

"The _article_ , girl. _Focus._ " Alya leaned up against her shoulder to point out the first paragraph on the opposite side of the page. Naturally Alya would be more interested in the writing over of the angelic pictures of Adrien, which was Marinette's focus. "Look, the reporter asked him if he had someone _special_ in his life."

"She did?" Immediately Marinette's attention was drawn to the area of the article that Alya indicated and slowly read it aloud from the magazine. " _It's obvious from his expression that the model has someone in mind, but he gives a denial instead. 'Ah. No. There isn't anyone in my life right now.' His answer comes with a sprinkle of a blush across his cheeks as he looks away._

"' _But there is someone you are interested in, isn't there?' Adrien's cheeks turn a few shades brighter as he obviously weighs his words to give his answer. 'I guess? There's someone I really respect. No matter how much I try, she's unattainable. I can't seem to catch her attention.' It's impossible to not notice the way his eyes seem to light up when he talks about his Mystery Girl."_

Marinette groaned, dramatically dropping her head to the textbook as she cried out. "Ugh. Alya. He _likes_ someone. _My life is over!_ "

"What kind of answer is that? Who would possibly be _unattainable_ for Adrien?" Alya shoved Marinette's head off the magazine to continue to read the article in Marinette's place. " _Adrien's modesty is surprising and I can't help but seek the same answer that many of our readers are sure to ask. What sort of person would catch his attention? 'She has to be strong, both in heart and spirit. She stands for what she believes in and isn't afraid to speak her mind. She's charismatic and kind, caring for others before herself.'_ "

"See? _No chance!_ I can't even _speak_ to him; how can I _possibly_ speak my mind?" Marinette grabbed Alya's shoulders and shook them frantically.

"Actually, I think that sounds a lot like _you_ , Marinette." Alya grinned, letting Marinette shake her until she wears herself out and flopped against her shoulder in exhaustion.

"Thanks, but—"

"Hey guys! The bell is about to ring."

Marinette jumped at the unexpected arrival of Nino's voice, slamming the textbook shut as quickly as she could while holding it tightly against her chest as Nino and Adrien approach the bench. " _Woah._ Sorry, didn't mean to surprise you, Marinette. You okay?"

"Fine! We're Fine!" she managed to get out as she attempted to hide her evidence by shoving Alya's textbook in her own book bag without crushing her kwami, Tikki.

"We were just reading Adrien's interview in _Paris Teen_ ," Alya replied while she gently extracted her textbook from Marinette's hands before she stole it. Taking the magazine out of the textbook, she held it up for the two to see, much to Marinette's horror. Heat rushed up the back of her neck and her face felt as bright as a tomato. Alya just _had_ to show him! Things couldn't get worse.

"Look! You're going to be the biggest heartthrob in years, Adrien!" Nino laughed, slapping Adrien on the back as he looked at the cover.

"Ugh. No," Adrien sighed, shaking his head slightly as he looked at the cover as well. "That was the most uncomfortable interview I've _ever_ had to give. There were so many unnecessary questions. Did it turn out okay? I haven't seen it yet."

"We haven't had a chance to read it all yet," Alya admitted, turning to Marinette. "Right, Marinette?"

Grasping every ounce of determination she could in that moment, Marinette forced herself to say something. To actually get involved in the conversation, even a little. "The pictures were...um. They were nice."

 _She did it._ She actually spoke to him and he smiled at her. There wasn't anything awkward about it and maybe after her heart started working again she could attempt it again. If she survived.

"Good. I'm glad you enjoyed them," Adrien said, glancing at the picture on the cover. "It was _much_ colder than it looked that day. I thought my feet were frozen solid after being outside for that long."

She found that she couldn't do it. His smile and attention in her direction had caused every single one of her brain cells to combust in a spectacular fashion. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but nothing came out. Alya grabbed her by the arm, giving both boys a cheerful wave as she pulled Marinette off the bench. "We'll see you two in class. _Don't be late!_ "

Marinette managed to give them a wave over her shoulder as Alya pulled her toward the school. "I talked to him," she sighed dreamily.

Her red-headed friend just giggled at her plight. "Yes. _Yes, you did._ Good job, Marinette. Here's your reward for all your hard work." Alya shoved the magazine into her hands, which Marinette gladly accepted.

Within moments, both girls took their places in their usual seats in the classroom. Marinette was content to stare at the back of Adrien's head while Miss Bustier took roll and set things up for the morning lessons. "Marinette? Can you run this paperwork down to Mr. Damocles for me?" The teacher asked after gathering the attendance.

"Sure!" Marinette responded, grabbing her bag from the floor as she headed up to the front of the classroom. As class president she was often asked to assist the teachers in minor administrative assignments, so it was nothing out of the ordinary to be asked.

"You don't need to bring your bag with you," Miss Bustier said, handing her a stack of papers.

Marinette took the papers from her but gave a little shrug, trying to think of an excuse besides not wanting anyone to find out she had a kwami in her bag that transformed her into half of Paris' famous superhero duo. "I just feel more comfortable taking my belongings with me instead of leaving them here. Just in case something happens to them while I'm gone."

"Okay, just hurry back," her teacher responded; turning back to the classroom as Marinette headed out of the room.

Tikki flew out of the bag the moment Marinette had taken just a few steps out of the classroom. The kwami hovered near Marinette's head as she spoke. "I agree with Alya. He described _you_."

Marinette was grateful to the tiny ladybug for the encouragement, but it didn't do much good right now. "Adrien _barely_ knows I exist and he certainly doesn't ever get to see _that_ side of me. _No one_ knows I'm Ladybug, not even Alya." Taking the stairs down to the bottom floor of the school Marinette crossed the courtyard to the Principal's office. "I still don't know see why Alya thinks Adrien was describing me though."

"I think Alya knows you better than you think she does. Even if she doesn't know you as _Ladybug_."

"Thanks Tikki," she replied, grateful for the friendship. "We're almost at the office. You'll want to hide again."

Tikki quickly flew back into her bag as Marinette entered the office. Handing off the paperwork to the secretary, she quickly turned around to head back to the classroom. Just as she stepped outside the office, a strong gust of wind whipped through the courtyard and almost knocked her over. The sound of bending metal pierced the air around her. Ducking her head, Marinette clamped her hands over her ears and watched as one of the backboards of the basketball court snapped and fell to the ground from the force of the wind.

Marinette stared at the mess of destruction, bracing herself as the wind whipped around her with a hurricane force. Suddenly the air stilled just as quickly as it had started, leaving the courtyard motionless and quiet except for the sound of a pair of footsteps that echoed within the empty space.

She looked to be similar in age to Marinette, half of her blonde hair pinned back in a barrette, she was decked out in a green and yellow cheerleading uniform with the word "Adrien" scrawled across the front. In her hands, she held two large Chinese fans at her side. She moved assertively across the courtyard. Marinette stood frozen in place, hoping to go undetected until the girl was out of sight so she could transform and go after her. She's not that lucky.

"Where is Adrien Agreste?" Green eyes locked on Marinette, a flash of pink reflected off the green of the mask on the girl, leaving no doubt that this girl had been possessed by an akuma.

"You're wearing the _wrong_ colors. I don't think this is your school," Marinette answered, ignoring the girl's question as she tried to casually glance around for someplace to transform.

"I am 'The Fan'. Adrian's _number one_ fan! I won't give him to you!" Lifting one of her fans into the air, the girl glared at Marinette as she gracefully slid her fan through the air, sending a blast of air against Marinette that picked her up off her feet before she smashed against the wall of the administration building. Marinette struggled to breathe; the impact had knocked the breath out of her. The Fan just ignored Marinette from that point on, intent on her search for Adrien.

Using the air from her fans, she levitated until she level to the second floor. With a second flick of her wrists, the stairwell that lead to the second floor exploded in a mangled mess of steel and concrete under the onslaught of wind. She had effectively isolated the first from the second floor.

"She's going after Adrien," Tikki warned.

"I'm _not_ going to let some airhead have him," Marinette's eyes narrowed in anger as she called her kwami into her miraculous. "Spots on, Tikki!"

The Fan continued to blast away at tables and blew down walls, making a racket as she searched for her idol in the classrooms. Within moments the entire school was aware of her presence as she continually demanded everyone turn over Adrien Agreste to her.

The moment Marinette returned as Ladybug, some of the classrooms had begun to attempt to block against her entry into their room. They likely hoped to prevent the same destruction she wreaked everywhere else she went. Ladybug had a leg up on the girl, with first-hand knowledge of the location of the coveted model. Knowing her classroom had likely already blocked the door, Marinette decided she was going to have to go in through the window to extract the model and lure The Fan away from the school.

Marinette unhooked her yo-yo from her waist and sent it sailing through the air. She connected with the edge of the building and yanked herself to the roof of the school, sliding across the shingles until she reached the portion of the roof that was directly above the window to her classroom. Bending over backwards, she gripped the edge of the roof and flipped herself down onto the window ledge below her. Everyone in the classroom was distracted with their complete attention directed on the door as they prepared to prevent the intruder from entering.

Marinette grinned, sliding the window open with a dramatic flair as she announced her arrival. " _Good Morning!_ Just your friendly neighborhood Ladybug here to pay you a visit today. I heard there is an over-zel-" Her words trailed off as her gaze connected with none other than the person she came here to ensure the safety of.

The earth shifted beneath her feet. It was an entirely clichéd way to think about it, but Marinette honestly couldn't explain it any other way. If she hadn't already been completely and utterly head over heels in love with him in the first place, she'd swear this is exactly what "Love at First Sight" would feel like. The world could fall apart around her and even if she tried, taking her eyes off of Adrien Agreste at that moment would have been impossible.

Adrien, with his back pressed to the door as hard as he possibly could in an effort to keep the possessed girl out of the classroom, was directing his classmates to drag tables and chairs to barricade the doorway. As his gaze locked with hers, his determination softened immediately, as if entering a trance. He mouthed a single word, her name. _Ladybug._

 _Not_ Marinette. In that moment she didn't even care because it was still _her_.

Marinette had never seen that expression on his face before and it sent flutters alight in her stomach. She barely had a moment to analyze it when the wind howled against the door, busting it open with a hurricane force before the first table could replace Adrien's body. The impact pitched Adrien forward in her direction. Instinctively, Marinette reacted and wrapped her arm around the boy's waist, catching him in mid-flight, as the wind died down.

"Hi. Um. Hel-er... _ah_." Marinette fumbles over her words, heat rushed along the back of her neck as Adrien Agreste's body pressed up against her. She started to feel a little faint from the warmth that radiated off of him. _'This has to be a dream,'_ she thought dizzily. She had just saved Adrien Agreste and he stared at her as if he believed she could rope the moon.

"Ladybug," he sighed, as if the very name was a prayer. Marinette felt the world around her begin to fade even more as she fell into his gorgeous green eyes.

"Cute _-you_. I mean. _I think_. Green. _So much green_. I-I-I- _so good_ ," she stuttered, unable to put her thoughts into words because they jumped around so much. It's just. _Adrien Agreste._ She couldn't even _talk_ to him as Marinette but right here, _at this moment_ , he was in her _arms_. Though she struggled to maintain her composure, she took advantage of an opportunity she couldn't pass up. "I'm fan. _Huge fan._ Not like...I mean. _I'm a huge fan_."

And he blushed. _He actually blushed_.

A massive gust of wind, accompanied by a high pitched, yet powerful, voice roared, " _I_ am Adrien Agreste's number one fan!" Still clinging to Adrien, Marinette tightened her grip to prevent either of them from get blown away from the force of the attack. Both of them pushed against the wind and held on to each other with everything they had.

" _Apparently you have competition, Ladybug._ "

The air around them halted, Marinette was too shocked by the words Adrien muttered under his breath to react to the sudden loss of wind. Adrien fell on top of her because she hadn't quite let him go yet when her knees turned to jelly and gave out. "Sorry," she mumbled as he grinned at her.

"I'm not," he replied, grabbing her hand as he helped them both to their feet with a smirk. Again, Marinette blinked in shock, staring at the smile on his face. There was a familiarity there that she couldn't quite place, nor was she allowed any time to think about it because the possessed girl had lifted one of her fans to attack the classroom again. "We need to get her out of here."

Marinette nodded, she agreed with his assessment but had trouble putting her thoughts together. She just knew she needed to get Adrien out of there and get The Fan away from their school. "She's after you. I think we can get her into a safer place if we use you to lure her away."

The force of the wind that whipped through the classroom was directed at the two of them. Adrien slipped through her fingers as the air pushed him away. "I said he belongs to me! Don't touch him!" The girl's voice was shrill and angry as she attacked. Marinette fell to the floor again as she watched Adrien slide across the room to hit the wall with a bone crushing groan. The Fan advanced on him the moment the air stilled. But Ladybug was faster, diving across the room to slip her arms around his chest before she quickly leapt to the window with him in her arms.

"He _said_ he wanted to be with _me_ ," Ladybug announced proudly, holding the model princess style in her arms as she spoke to The Fan. It was a lie, but it worked. The Fan let out an inhuman scream as she charged across the room after them.

"I have to let you go to get us out of here. If you don't want to fall, you _need_ to hold onto me with your life." As soon as she said she had to let him go, Adrien wrapped his arms around her neck to hold on. Ladybug didn't waste any time sending her yoyo sailing and jumped from the window as the man of her dreams clung to her and a gust of wind followed at her back.


	2. Challenge Issued

Chapter 2

Adrien thrived on the freedom living as Chat Noir allowed him. In the time that he'd taken the position of the super hero, the sensation of wind rushing through his hair had become a calming feeling for him. Thousands of times he'd experienced this rush, but today was the first time he'd felt it as Adrien.

"We're almost there. There's a park nearby with a lot of room to move and little to destroy," Ladybug explained, maintaining her focus as she carried him through the streets of Paris. He'd already guessed long ago where Ladybug planned to lure the possessed teenage girl, a common tactic of the two of them.

Hands clamped together tightly behind her neck, Adrien had the perfect vantage point to observe her every facial expression. If he said so himself; there was probably no one that knew every inch of Ladybug's face but him. Adrien knew her like the back of his hand, but what he was seeing was something else entirely.

Ladybug was doing everything in her power not to look at him. Her eyes moved in random patterns toward areas that should have been easily seen without effort. The muscles in her cheeks tensed and relaxed in turn as she frowned at herself, after daring the quickest of peeks at him that resulted in her entire face turning red.

She was a fan.

Ladybug. Was. A. Fan.

He had yet to decide of that was a curse or a blessing at the moment but either way, it afforded him the opportunity to see her in a light that he'd normally be blind to because of their other relationship. It was almost like he was getting to go undercover. Except he really should be here helping her as Chat Noir. She'd probably start wondering what happened to him soon and Plagg was back at the school, so it wasn't like he could help her even if he wanted to.

Legs clamped tightly to her waist, he struggled to hold on as Ladybug made her way across the city. About halfway to the park, she must have noticed his struggle because she stopped on the roof of a grocery store and let him get down. "We don't want to lose her," Ladybug said, looking off in the direction of the school for a sign of The Fan. Her cheeks were sprinkled with a rosy blush as she determinedly avoided any eye contact with him. "As soon as she gets close enough to see us, we'll take off again. The park isn't much further."

Stretching his arms to ease the ache in the muscles from the way he'd been forced to hold her, Adrien tried to focus on the task at hand but his mind was too busy trying to figure out exactly how to interact with his partner as a civilian. He watched as her gaze shifted to him from the corner of her eye before quickly looking away again as her cheeks bloomed scarlet. The Ladybug he knew was confident, surefooted, focused and a natural leader. The uncertainty he found within her personality was such a contrast to the person he knew, it was a little disconcerting.

"Is everything okay?" He frowned, wanting to calm her down. She obviously wasn't comfortable around him for some reason and he really wanted her to feel at ease with him like he did around her.

She flinched slightly at the question, nervously biting her lower lip for just a moment before answering his question. "Yeah. Fine. Everything is fine. It's just…" There was a short pause as she obviously tried to get her thoughts together. "Chat Noir! Yeah. Chat Noir isn't here. I can't believe he just ditched me like this."

It was a lie. The only thing that would have been more obvious is if ideas were like lightbulbs in cartoons and one had lit up over her head. Adrien would have sworn she'd just randomly pulled an excuse off the top of her head and ran with it. But if she wants to talk about Chat Noir, he had nothing against doing so.

"I got the impression from the Ladyblog that sometimes one of you has to fight alone for a while until the other shows up."

"Yeah. Right. That's true," she agreed before her eyes suddenly shot open widely. " _Wait_. You read the Ladyblog?"

"Every day. I'm a huge fan of the two of you as well."

" _You?!_ " She choked on nothing, obviously shocked at the news that he was a fan. "I can't believe that! You're really a fan?"

"Would I lie about something so important? The two of you make a really good team."

"He's reliable at least. He'll show up, I'm sure. But in the meantime...we better book it to the park."

Adrien looked over in the direction they came from; sure enough The Fan was using the wind to propel herself into the air. She leapt from building to building as she chased them. "Let me get on your back this time. I'm sure it will be easier to carry me."

Ladybug bit her lip and nodded as her cheeks flamed pink again. The way this day was going, they were bound to be permanently stained that way. She turned and offered her back and Adrien climbed on, arms wrapped over her shoulders as he piggybacked her.

She took off but he noticed she was still distracted and uncomfortable with him there. Somehow he had to figure out a way to make her comfortable. "If he doesn't show up, I can pretend to be your Chat Noir today."

"That's!" Her grip slipped on the string and they fell just a few inches before she grasped it again. "That's way too much of a suspension of disbelief! You aren't anything like him!"

"I bet I can pull it off. Tell me what he's like. How does Ladybug see Chat Noir?"

Her tone was flat. "Chat is obnoxious. Sure, he's _reliable_ but he's also daring. He doesn't think when he acts sometimes and puts himself into danger. He takes very little seriously and _flirts_ with everyone he meets. He's _obsessed_ with puns and takes every opportunity to use them. Trust me, you're _nothing_ like him."

Adrien chuckled. Finally he was getting to see a little bit of the Ladybug of which he's familiar and enjoyed spending time with. "He's pretty much the _cat's meow_ , don't you think?"

She shook her head in disappointment. "Please. No puns."

"Am I _bugging_ you?"

"Stop!" she groaned, but giggled at the end. "One Chat Noir is enough. Don't turn into him. I just want to make sure nothing happens to you. We need to get you back to school safely."

The park came into view and Ladybug slowly made her way to a clearing, landing softly in the grass before Adrien extracted his arms from around her neck. Her last words stuck in his mind and wouldn't let go though. If he thought about it, Ladybug had gotten to the school extremely fast. Adrien himself was there and the target of The Fan and even he hadn't had time to transform into Chat Noir before Ladybug had swept him away. His thoughts were quickly interrupted as the wind picked up around the two of them again.

"How dare you! I won't let you _steal_ him from me! _Everything_ I've done has been for his sake. He was _supposed_ to fall in love with _me_!" The Fan lifted her arm, aiming directly at the two of them and dragged her arm down across her body.

"A friend of yours?" Ladybug asked as she reached for his hand and wrapped her fingers around his wrist tightly. The gust of wind that hit them knocked Adrien off his feet but her grip kept him from blowing away. "I'm not letting you go. Hold on tight."

"Not anyone I recognize," he admitted, taking a look at the possessed teenage cheerleader when she took a break to charge the fans in her hands. Another torrent of air was expelled in their direction, but Adrien held onto Ladybug's hand as the wind threatened to tear them apart. The Fan wasn't able to maintain the wind for long, which was a blessing.

"What do you mean, _everything_ was for his sake?" Ladybug yelled; trying to be heard in the small span of time the wind died down.

"I did it _all_ for him! He's not supposed to fall in love with _someone_ else!" The Fan screamed, getting angrier as she unleashed her power again. This time the force was strong enough to lift the pair off the ground and into the tree ten feet behind them.

"Ugh," Adrien groaned, back shooting off flames of pain from the impact.

" _Adrien!_ " Ladybug cried, scrambling over to his side to check on him.

"I'm _oak_ -ay. What do you need me to do?"

Ladybug quickly got to her feet. "That's _worse_ than Chat. Just stay here. I need to figure out where her power source is coming from."

Adrien scanned the girl as well, trying to locate anything that might be of use. Ladybug took a different approach and confronted the girl head on. "You read the article this morning, didn't you?"

"It's _not fair_! I started modeling so I could meet him! I _starved_ myself and worked out for _hours_ a day just so he would notice me! He never even _looked_ at me! If I bring in the miraculous, I was _promised_ that he would be mine!"

"It broke your heart, _didn't_ it?" Ladybug said sympathetically. "Hearing there's someone in his life that he's _interested_ in and knowing there isn't a _chance_ it's you, it hurts. _I know._ "

"I wasn't even given a _chance_. I wasn't a good enough model to work with him!" The Fan screamed. When her head tilted, Adrien spotted something familiar.

"You can't control who someone falls in love with. If you really loved him, you'd _support_ him with whomever he chose." Ladybug replied with such pure honesty, it made Adrien smile.

The Fan wailed, not happy with that advice and drew back her fans to attack Ladybug. " _It's in her barrette_ ," Adrien yelled before the wind rushed against his body again, pushing his back into the tree as he braced himself against it. He'd complimented the uniqueness of the item last week; only to find out she'd made it herself. He'd actually been very impressed with her abilities.

Ladybug took the brunt of the wind as it knocked her down and sent her rolling backwards over her shoulder. With a feat of impressive athleticism, Ladybug landed back on her feet and pushed back up into a standing position. "Good eye, Adrien. _Lucky Charm!_ " She tossed her yo-yo into the air and into her waiting arms fell—a broom.

"Clean the floor with her, Ladybug!" Adrien called out.

"You couldn't have picked the _flirting_ aspect of his personality instead?" she responded, looking around the park to figure out how to use the item. Adrien knew the moment she figured it out as her face lit up. "Got it!"

Leaping over toward the jungle gym, there was a spare playground ball. Ladybug swung the broom at it and sent it flying off the slide, off the tree Adrien sat against and connected with both of her fans. The Fan was effectively grounded at that point, unable to control the wind anymore. Ladybug unhooked the barrette from her hair and crushed it underfoot. The akuma that had possessed her flew out and was quickly captured by the pigtailed superhero. "Bye bye little butterfly," she called out as the purified butterfly fluttered away.

Adrien got to his feet as she threw broom into the air for the healing light spell and everything went back to the way it was beforehand. Making his way to the now repaired barrette, he bent down to pick it up. "You're really talented," he said, handing it back to the now free teenage girl he recognized as part of his modeling company. "I think you have a lot of potential with these if you work hard at it."

"Huh? Oh! _Thank you._ I've only made a couple for some of my friends, but they really liked them." She blushed, clinging to her barrette as she got to her feet. "How did I…?"

"I think you are supposed to be heading back to class," he added as a suggestion. She nodded, thanking him as she rushed away.

"Speaking about heading back to class," Ladybug said as she tucked her yo-yo back on her hip. Adrien turned back in her direction and as soon as their eyes made contact, her cheeks bloomed bright red again. They were back to this again.

" _Wait_. I want to talk to you quick," he said with a frown, thinking about everything that had just happened. "Did _you_ already read that article?"

" _What_? Article? I have no idea—um. _There's no magazine._ Nope. None…err…I mean, _maybe_ I've seen it but I definitely haven't _read_ it yet. I have no idea what it talks about in there."

"You've obviously read it," he sighed, burying his head into his hands.

"Maybe a little," she squeaked out, face beginning to match the red of her costume by now.

"What did it say that caused someone who is _practically_ a stranger to go crazy like that?"

Ladybug looked away, biting her lip as she hesitated to answer.

"Just tell me," he sighed, feeling tired all of the sudden.

"There's someone you're interested in and you can't get their attention."

Hearing it from her mouth _of all people_ just made the entire situation that much worse. He started to realize he might be entirely wrong about that assumption. He just hadn't caught her attention in the way that he'd wanted to and it left a pit of lead in his stomach. Adrien took a deep breath, inhaling and exhaling slowly before asking the most important question of all. "You're a fan, _right_? Can you describe what sort of person I am?" 

Adrien knew the question was a set up from the start. Something to help crush the heart she'd already bruised and damaged with her constant rebuffs when he was Chat Noir. Maybe he hoped to finally reach the level of hopelessness that could only be cured by rebuilding yourself and moving on.

She didn't look away and avoid him this time, just blinked in surprise with her jaw slack. But after a moment she started to speak. "You're calm. Sometimes when the rest of the world is loud and chaotic, you're the one steady thing. Sort of like the eye of the storm. You're kind and generous, willing to help out others whenever you can. You're never cruel. You work hard at everything you do, whether it's school, modeling or just trying something you've never done before. You're intelligent but modest about it. You're lonely. You try to hide it, but there is something about you that distances you from everyone else. You want to belong but think you have trouble doing it. Not because you don't belong, but more because you are just unsure of how to do it."

He just stood there dumbfounded, expecting some superficial answer. She'd nailed it. _Adrien_. How she viewed Adrien was _exactly_ as he viewed himself. How he expected the _world_ to view _him_. Except she'd seen through even that to how he genuinely felt about his life as Adrien. How it _didn't_ fit. How it was a _role_ that was expected of him and he _wanted_ more. But he wasn't free to do that.

Her earrings beeped and Adrien knew better than anyone what that meant.

"I've got to-" He reached out and grasped her hand before she could run off and leave him.

" _Wait!_ Just for a second. I know you've got to go but... _you know me_. You actually know me _outside_ of your costume, _don't you?_ "

Her eyes widened and she tugged on his hand as her face flushed a brilliant shade of red as she tried to escape from the question. " _No! I...I..._ "

Adrien lifted his free hand to her cheek, stroking the soft skin gently with his knuckle and she stilled as if in a daze as she stared at him. The Ladybug he knew would shove him away if she didn't like his advances. _Countless_ times she'd rebuffed Chat Noir. _Never_ interested. _Never_ taking his confessions seriously. When she was _everything_ he'd ever wanted.

Ladybug stared at him, lips slightly parted as she stood there with an expression of awe on her face. The wrist gripped in his hand trembled slightly as he stared back at her, trailing his finger down her cheek until it curled under her chin to lift her face toward him. Slowly he closed the gap, allowing her the opportunity to turn away and reject him again, but she didn't. Eventually, with the lightest touch, his lips brushed against hers ever so gently. He never took his eyes off her, watching as her eyes widened and she gasped against his mouth as he pulled away.

The confidence was entirely a façade, he felt just as gob smacked by this situation as she looked, which was saying something because she looked like she might collapse at any moment. That her legs might give out.

Adrien took a shaky step back, the point he wanted to make loud and clear. But he wasn't done yet. _Not at all._

"The unattainable girl in the article. The girl that doesn't _know_ I'm alive? _It's you._ It's _always_ been you." He took another step back, giving her room and knowing he only had a moment left before he lost the opportunity. "Just a warning for the girl _behind_ the mask. If she knows me in real life, I _will_ find her. If I'm wrong and you _don't_ feel the same, speak now because as soon as I walk away- _it begins_. I won't stop until I have you by my side."

Her legs gave out, falling to her knees as she stared at him with a mix of panic, fear, shock, and disbelief. Her shaking hand had lifted to touch her mouth, caressing the exact place he'd kissed her. She didn't even _attempt_ to deny it though. Her mouth didn't even move.

Shivers rippled through him as he turned away from her and made his way out of the park. Adrenaline pumping through his veins, the moment he could find a safe place out of sight, he allowed all the feelings and emotions to collapse on him. Dropping to his knees in a small alley, his entire body began to shake as he registered _what_ he'd just done.

"...I just declared _war_ on Ladybug's secret identity." The entire thing was a little much for him and the laughter bubbled up inside him before spilling out. He felt a little crazy as it started and there wasn't a way to stop it-and he didn't find it hilarious in the least. "What am I _thinking_? How am I going to pull this off?"


	3. Confusion

Chapter 3: Confusion

 _Notes:_ _Thank you to fullmetalpotterhead and talonted for beta work on this chapter._

The world around her ceased to function and the edges of her vision turned white while she tried to face the reality that had just happened. It felt fake, like an out of body experience that she was watching and Marinette just sat there as her vision spun on its axis. _'Adrien. Adrien Agreste just kissed me. Kissed Ladybug.'_

Not only had he kissed her; he'd claimed that he would be looking for her. Not Ladybug, but the girl behind the mask. He was looking for Marinette. Blood rushed through her head, like a freight train knocking out every other noise that could possibly interfere with her thoughts. Her hands shook as she continued to touch one of them to her mouth. _'Did that really just happen? I have to be dreaming. This can't be real...'_

She probably would have sat there crumpled on the ground in shock for several hours if the notification on her miraculous hadn't chimed again. The alarm roused her from her daze faster than anything else possibly could have. Her identity was under threat already; just letting it be revealed out of sheer shock of what happened to her would be a bad decision at the moment. Stumbling to her feet, she scanned the park for someplace nearby to transform and dove behind a tree away from prying eyes.

"Tikki. Spots off," Marinette said quietly, dropping to the ground again as the transformation removed the superhero costume and returned her to her civilian clothes. The little kwami fell from her earrings and immediately dropped to her lap, exhausted. She didn't even have anything for the little ladybug to eat to get her energy back. "I'm sorry, Tikki. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard!"

"Marinette, are you okay?" Though she was obviously worn out and tired, Tikki's focus was more on Marinette and it flooded her with guilt. "That was very unexpected."

"Oh Tikki," she sighed, scooping up the kwami into her hands and cuddling Tikki against her cheek. "We need to worry about you right now. I'll be fine. You need food so we can get you back to normal."

"But Marinette!"

"I can't think about it right now, Tikki!" Marinette replied, a note of panic in her voice as she spoke. She got back to her feet slowly, carefully trying not to jostle the kwami resting in her cupped hands as she moved. "I need to get you healthy and get my bag and go home. Once I'm home I can think about it. I'm still just trying to process just what happened. I mean-Adrien just ki-"

Marinette cut herself off, inhaling deeply as she closed her eyes. Tikki just giggled as Marinette placed her in her shirt pocket. "Food. Let's get you some food, Tikki."

She said she wouldn't think about it until she got home, but it was impossible. Her mind was running a million miles an hour and every single bit of it was focused on Adrien. She purposely left the park in a different direction than him, making her way to a small convenience store across the street to get a package of cheap cookies to tide Tikki over until she returned home. Just as she was coming out of the store, her phone vibrated with a text alert.

 _[I wish an Akuma would attack more often if they would give us the rest of the day off like this. I missed you after they released everyone. Is everything okay?]_

The message was from Alya. Her best friend was the most supportive person in her entire life when it came to her feelings about Adrien. Adrien Agreste had just kissed _her_ and she couldn't even tell Alya, because he'd kissed _Ladybug_. This was complete _torture_! Ripping open the package of cookies, she dropped one into her pocket for Tikki and then proceeded to send a message back to her friend.

 _[Sorry. I just headed home right away and didn't need to go back to the classroom. I heard the Akuma was after Adrien. What happened?]_

That should keep her friend busy enough for at least the walk back to school to retrieve her backpack. Still, her thoughts kept rolling back to recall what had happened back at the park. It was extremely confusing because Ladybug's interaction with Adrien had been minimal since she'd taken over the superhero position. Sure, she knew there were a lot of fans of Ladybug, but she'd never really thought of Adrien as one. He could have his pick of any girl he wanted, being a model and having a number of adoring fans in his own right. Marinette could easily be included in that number, even if she was a classmate and had actual face to face interaction with him.

Or at least, she attempted face to face interaction. The inability to get a proper sentence out probably didn't constitute successful contact.

But Marinette felt like she _knew_ Adrien. At least she knew him better than others who just liked him for his beautiful face. He'd asked her to describe the type of person he was. It was only _after_ she'd done so that Adrien's attention had switched. Desperate and determined to get to the bottom of this puzzle that she'd placed in front of him, he believed the person behind the mask knew him.

He was right, but the girl behind the mask was bound to be a huge disappointment for him. Adrien knew absolutely nothing about Marinette or Ladybug. To come out and say he wants to be with her was completely crazy and unexpected. It made no sense.

 _[I got some great footage for the Ladyblog. Apparently some fangirl of his read his article and freaked out. That's how it all started.]_

Coming up to the school, Marinette headed for the place she'd dropped her bag when she'd taken Tikki out. Grasping the handle, she lifted it over her shoulder and turned around to head out the courtyard again.

"Hey, Marinette. Looks like everyone else headed home already."

She screamed, jumping in the air about three feet as she whirled around to find none other than Adrien Agreste standing behind her with his own bag in his hand. "Adrien!" Heat flooded her face, unable to look him in the face at all. Of course he'd be here. He had to come back here after she'd taken off with him to lure the possessed fan away from the school. He had to get his bag too. Naturally they'd be leaving the school at around the same time. "You're here! I mean-of course you're here. You go to school here too. You have every right to be here-and I'm here and...and...I have to go home."

She ran, like the coward she was, away from him as fast as her feet would carry her. Ran until she reached the bakery her parents owned, continued to run up the stairs and into her room. Dropping her bag on her floor, she fell face first onto her bed and proceeded to scream into a pillow.

Could she be any more awkward? Probably not. Adrien probably thought she was crazy, the way she'd ran from him like he was some diseased being that was going to spread the plague to everyone else just by talking to them. He'd _kissed_ Ladybug. She'd even managed to banter with him a little while she was Ladybug. Just a little. At least during his Chat Noir impression, which was pretty impressive she had to admit. But the moment she'd gone back to Marinette and seen him again face to face, it was like everything she'd just experienced had flown away and she was back to normal.

"Marinette. What are you going to do about this?" Tikki said, energy fully restored and sitting on the cat pillow Marinette kept on her bed while she munched on a cookie. Marinette rolled her face to the side and sighed in defeat.

"I don't know, Tikki. What am I supposed to do?" She couldn't let her secret get out. No matter how much she wanted to be with Adrien, the safety of everyone around her was much more important. Besides, he wanted to be with _Ladybug_ , not _Marinette_. Figuring out they were one in the same would likely ruin _everything_ for him. "He doesn't want Marinette. He wants Ladybug."

"You're the _same person_ , Marinette." Tikki reminded her but Marinette disagreed, shaking her head as she rolled over to her back.

"Ladybug is special. She's strong and confident and just everything Marinette isn't. He'll _never_ choose me once he knows who's behind the mask."

"I think Marinette is just as amazing as Ladybug. Adrien might have kissed Ladybug, but I think he made it pretty clear that it was the person _behind_ the mask he wanted to pursue." Marinette blinked, surprised at the words that Tikki had said. She hadn't thought about it that way. "He could have just asked for Ladybug but he asked for the person behind her."

"I don't know what to do..." she whispered, eyes welling with tears as she stared at her ceiling. A particularly attractive poster of Adrien blurred within her vision. "I feel like no matter what I choose, I lose any chance I'd ever have with him. It makes me wonder if I can _ever_ have a normal relationship as long as I'm Ladybug."

"You could talk to him," Tikki replied, patting the top of her head softly. "Ladybug could try, at least. Explain to him why this is a bad idea for both of your safety. If he genuinely cares about you, you should know from his answers if this is okay for you or not."

" _Talk_ to him?" Marinette gave a disbelieving laugh at the very thought of talking to her crush. Even as Ladybug. Before she could say anything else, another text came in from Alya.

 _[You might want to get moving on that confession before Ladybug steals your man away.]_

There was an attachment to the message, which Marinette opened to find a video of Ladybug jumping into the window of their classroom. Alya had caught it all. That moment the two of them had made eye contact and the rest of the world had ceased to exist. The emotions and desire on both of their faces leapt off the screen. She hadn't imagined it at all. It wasn't a fantasy in her head. Her appearance had affected him.

But why?

She rewatched it at least a dozen times before groaning and dropping her phone on her bed. "Tikki. Spots on."

Tikki gave a grin as she dove into Marinette's earrings for the transformation. Adrien was likely home right now, not having anything else to do after school released early. His schedule was normally packed with extra-curricular activities and modeling jobs after school, but today it would be empty until the time school normally let out. That gave Marinette just a few hours to get the guts up to have an actual conversation with him about his challenge to Ladybug and hopefully set a few things straight.

Nausea rolled in her stomach as she hit the balcony of her building, uncertainty weighing her down as she took off. Crossing town in the direction of the Agreste mansion, Marinette wasn't sure what she was going to do when she got there but knew if she attempted to plan anything, she'd chicken out and turn back. The trip moved faster than she thought it would, the dread intensifying as she reached the front gates. There was a wall surrounding the entire building, which Marinette followed until she reached the room that she knew to be Adrien's.

 _'I'm a total stalker. I would be horrified to find out someone knew exactly what room in my house belonged to me if they had never been inside before.'_ There was no guarantee that Adrien would be home, let alone in his room. But he was. As if Marinette's luck couldn't get any worse, Adrien had been staring outside one of his many bedroom windows at the very moment she'd arrived.

Eyes widening in surprise, Adrien just stared at her a moment as Marinette stood frozen on the wall just outside. He moved first, shaking his head before opening the window. "Ladybug!" His cheeks blushed brilliantly as he called out to her but he quickly indicated for her to come inside.

Her heart pounded within her chest as she leapt to his window and slid into his room. There was barely enough time to gawk at the sheer size and extravagance of his bedroom when he started speaking. "Hey. Hi. Sorry, I didn't mean to distract you from what you were doing."

"Yeah. No, it's okay. I was actually…coming…to see you." Stumbling over her words, she hoped she didn't sound too desperate and eager. Adrien's green eyes lit up with happiness, grinning from ear to ear. The brightness coming off of him is blinding and she almost had to look away.

"You did? That's great! I mean, unless you _are_ mad about what happened earlier…" He sounded unsure, doubt crossing his face for the first time but she could tell he was trying not to get himself down. "I didn't know that you knew where I lived."

"It's not exactly a secret," she replied, worrying her bottom lip gently as she looked around his room. "You're _Adrien Agreste_."

"Yeah. Right. I guess that makes sense," he said with a frown. "Sorry. People don't come visit very often. My dad doesn't really like when people come by."

"I won't stay long," she promised, worried that she overstayed her welcome by even coming by at all.

"No! I'm glad you came. I'm sorry," he said quickly, wringing his hands together. "I didn't mean for everything to come out quite like that earlier. I knew you didn't have much time left and I just panicked and said the first thing that came to my mind."

"You don't even _know_ me," she squeaked out, her mind still running wildly as she tried to process everything.

Adrien ran a hand through his hair, messing it up more than it already was as he sighed. "You'd be surprised," he mumbled quietly. Closing his eyes, he inhaled deeply before giving a shaky exhale. "Why don't we do something while we talk? I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack the way my nerves are freaking out. Can you shoot baskets?"

She nodded and he got them both a basketball from a bin against the wall. "Horse? Do you know how to play?" he asked, bouncing one of the balls in her direction.

She nodded again, words not coming easily right now. "You—have a basketball court."

"Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous, I know."

The extravagance is a reminder of how different their realities really are. "I think your basketball court is bigger than my _entire bedroom_."

"This is the first time someone other than me has played on it."

"What?" Her jaw dropped, stunned at the admission. "How long have you had it?"

"Since I was about ten, I think." Five years. He'd never had anyone play on the court in the _five years_ he'd had it. "The arcade games haven't been touched by anyone else either."

Her heart clenched in her chest, just staring at him and he shifted uncomfortably, looking away from her. "Ladies first. Take your shot."

Marinette picked a spot on the court, dribbling the ball a few times before taking her shot. She missed. Adrien shot from where he stood, easily sinking his shot before moving out of the way for Marinette. She was still trying to process everything he'd said today to maybe grasp even the tiniest bit of what was happening in her life.

"I know you're really protective of your other self. That if someone knew that Ladybug had someone in her life she cared about, it could be used against her." Marinette listened to him as he spoke, hopefully getting to the point of explaining himself for earlier today. She aimed the ball and shot as he finished speaking. "That's why I'm not asking for a chance with Ladybug." The ball missed the basket by a long shot. That gave her an H.

"You're seriously trying to ask someone out and you don't even know who it is?" Disbelief overwhelmed her, eyes wide and staring at him in shock as he moves to find a new place to shoot from on the court. "What if you figure it out and don't want it to be me? What then?"

"What if _you_ get to know the real me and don't _want_ me?" He repeated the question back to her and she just gave him a doubtful look. There was no way that could happen. "I'm serious. I'm not who everyone thinks I am."

"You make it sound like there's a demon that would overtake you if you were given the chance."

He grinned, waggling his eyebrow suggestively for a moment before taking his shot on the other side of the court. "Without a doubt." The ball easily slipped through the basket.

Speechless, she struggled with a comeback because it was such a surprise to hear that sort of comment come out of his mouth. Lining up from where he took his shot, Marinette missed her second shot, still distracted by his words. It wasn't the typical sort of thing that Adrien would say. "I hope you aren't taking flirting lessons from Chat Noir. He's not a very good role model."

"You _banned_ me from making puns," he said, as if that was a proper defense. "Also, you've got an H and an O."

Marinette sighed, wondering what sort of alternate universe she'd just entered. Nothing made any sense. "Just shoot, Handsome. No need to remind me of how bad you're smoking me right now."

"Handsome, huh?" He grinned, heading to the top of the key at the three point line. "It's probably because I'm on _fire_." He sunk the three point shot with a flawless jump shot and mimicked the sound of the crowd going wild.

Marinette threw her ball at his back, grinning when it nailed him. "I decided we're changing games. You've got the advantage being on the basketball team. We're playing dodgeball. I just won."

"Sore loser, are we?" he replied with a laugh, grabbing the ball from the ground and taking another shot. There was an unbridled excitement and happiness on his face that she didn't think she'd ever seen there before. But she couldn't help the only question that cames to mind as she watched him.

"You still haven't answered. Why _me_? You don't even _know_ me…"

She worried it would put a damper on his mood, but Adrien just continued to smile in the same carefree mood. "That's the part _you_ have to figure out. While I find you, you'll answer that question yourself." Adrien tucked the basketball against his side, reaching up to touch the top of her head lovingly as he answered her question. "There's a reason it can only be _you_."


	4. Awareness

Chapter 4: Awareness

 _Note: Thanks to fullmetalpotterhead and talonted for the beta_

"Plagg, I promise I'll pick you up a huge thing of camembert on my way home."

The little black kwami groaned as he came out of his hiding spot. "This isn't what my powers are supposed to be used for, Adrien."

"I'm just going out to patrol. That's all." He tried to play it off as something normal, but tripped over his own feet as he dribbled the basketball on the floor. His feet suddenly tangled up in themselves before he fell on the court. The only way he saved himself a face full of floor rash was by stopping himself with his hands at the last minute. The ball he'd been dribbling rolled across the floor before coming to rest against the wall. His attempt at acting suave and relaxed about this whole thing coming to a crashing failure.

"Sure. It has nothing to do with the fact that Ladybug just left your room," Plagg replied, grasping a fistful of the blonde's hair and lifting it away from his face so he could talk to Adrien face to face. "I knew I should have picked someone other than you for Chat Noir."

Adrien grinned, peeking through the little gap that Plagg had made in his hair. "You only picked me because I have enough money to support your camembert obsession," he teased, repeating the words spoken to him countless times by the kwami over the past few months. "You know I'm good for the payment."

Plagg sighed, letting the hair fall back into the teens face before muttering his agreement. Adrien scrambled to his feet in order to call out the transformation. "Thanks Plagg. Claws out!"

The kwami flew into the miraculous, transforming Adrien into Chat Noir. The moment the switch was complete; Adrien jumped into the window of his bedroom and scanned the sky for any signs of his partner. She was long gone, making him frown but he knew what direction she'd headed off in so he quickly jumped from the ledge and headed after her into the night.

It was a typical patrol, leaping from building to building as his eyes scanned the horizon for a familiar figure. It took about fifteen minutes to finally spot her sitting on top of the observation floor of the Eiffel Tower. Soundlessly he scaled the building until he reached her and sat down next to her without an invitation.

"Chat!" she gasped, eyes wide as she shifted her attention to him. He'd obviously caught her off-guard in the midst of her own thoughts.

"I heard I missed something interesting earlier."

Adrien watched as Ladybug absorbed his comment, a frown slowly taking over her face as she processed his words. Face turned up in his direction, the words she spoke were accusatory. "You didn't show up."

"I must have arrived on the scene a few minutes too late," he lied, hoping that would be enough of an answer for her. It had to be enough of an answer for her. "I'm sure my Lady missed me greatly during that time."

Ladybug huffed out a noise of disbelief, but her cheeks bloomed a delightful shade of pink before she answered. "Hardly. I just realized you hadn't shown up right now, Kitty."

Adrien lifted a brow as he brought a fist to his chest in mock pain. "My Lady wounds me with her cruel admissions. You'll make me believe I'm not needed if you keep this up."

Ladybug giggled, kicking her legs gently as her attention shifted away from him. Her gaze stared out across the city. "I wondered what happened to you. It's not like you not to show up eventually. You don't seem like the type that likes to be left out of anything."

"Sometimes real life gets in the way," he admitted. The truth was simpler than that. It wasn't that he didn't like to be left out; he just couldn't pass up an opportunity to see her. "I heard a rumor that you found a good replacement for me for the day though."

The gentle bloom on her cheeks morphed into something much darker at the mention of his alter-ego. It should have pleased him, but for some reason it caused him to feel a little irritated instead. "Adrien Agreste, huh? That's your type?"

Ladybug's eyes widened in horror, frantically turning toward him as she shook her head. "No! What are you saying? Adrien is…he's really…I mean! He was really helpful and—and—nice. He's very nice and helpful. "

"I'm sure the girl who was akumatized said something similar," Adrien retorted, watching her expression carefully as she reacted to his words. She looked a little sad, attention reverting back to her lap where she began tracing the outline of one of her spots on her legs with a finger thoughtfully. Neither of them spoke for several seconds, Adrien thought maybe the conversation would switch to something else. But Ladybug surprised him.

"In a way, it's sort of similar to us, isn't it?" Ladybug finally responded with a frown on her face as she carefully gave her answer. "People often see what it is that they want to see. I don't think many people have gotten to see the real him because they are so focused on the person everyone gets to see on the surface. There's a real person underneath that façade."

"Some people don't want others to get close enough to see the person under all that," Adrien said, nudging her with his shoulder. Ladybug in particular was extremely protective of her real life and Adrien had tried time after time to get any information from her without luck.

The look she gave him was slightly apologetic, but obviously not enough to change her mind on the subject in the least. "I don't get that impression from him. I think there is a part of him that wants someone to see the person behind the model. He's just not sure how to balance it all. "

Adrien pulled up one of his knees to his chin, resting his head on it as he listened to her. She was definitely on the right track but due to her lack of knowledge of all sides of him, she was missing a very large part. "I sup- _pose_ you're right. It must be tough being the _model_ child all the time."

"So…" Adrien hesitated, lingering on that single word for a moment before gaining the courage to finish his thought. "Which Adrien Agreste do you have feelings for?"

She cringed at his words, pain flickering across her face as she processed his words. Her gaze flickered to his, guilt registering in her eyes as he looks at her. She doesn't deny it like part of him he'd hoped she would. He doesn't think she's going to answer at all when her voice suddenly comes through quieter than he thinks he's ever heard it before. "I'm not sure, anymore."

It's the things she leaves unsaid that speak more than anything. There are things he longs to ask about but knows he can't while sitting with her here as Chat Noir.

Adrien got to his feet, prepared to take off on his own and work through his thoughts on everything he's just uncovered but there's a slight touch against his calf halting him. He glanced down to find her shaking her head, changing her mind on whatever reasons she'd stopped him for. "Never mind. It's not important."

Whatever words linger on her tongue, it's obvious they are important to her. Adrien knows her doubt comes from what transpired during their meeting earlier in his bedroom. He may not be aware yet about who she was, but he knew she was the only person who might be able to blend all three sides of him in order to see the real him. That was something he realized he selfishly wanted more than anything he'd ever wanted before. But in order to accomplish that, he needed to be able to see all of her. The truth was, it was a risk that might ruin all of the trust she had in him and ruin their entire friendship. Was that sort of risk worth it? "Having someone see all of you and accept it all would be pretty amazing though, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah," she sighed, glancing up at him for a moment with an affectionate smile on her face. For the first time he felt like she was genuinely seeing him. That she wasn't just talking about Adrien. She was talking about the two of them too. "Something tells me if I met you on the street, I'd know who you were right away."

"Are you positive?" Adrien grinned, kneeling down as he grasped her hand that still rested on his calf. She tugged her fingers away as he attempted to lift it to his mouth to press a kiss to the back of her hand. Left empty handed again, he just gave her a wink as he clasped his hands behind his back and rocked on his heels. "I've had the honor of meeting Ladybug as myself. I'm 100% certain you had no idea it was me."

Gripping the edge of the metal of the Eiffel Tower, Adrien moved to begin his descent from the building to leave her wide eyed and in shock from the news. But before he manages to escape, she grinned as she blurted out something that confirmed his suspicions about her. "So have you, Kitty! I've met Chat Noir."

"Oh really? What happened?" He laughed, holding onto the metal in his hands as he waited for her response.

"You flirted with me," she laughed as she stuck her tongue out. As if that confirmed everything she believed about him.

It actually does surprise him because although he flirts madly with her, he isn't the type normally to flirt with others. "Maybe I just have good taste," he answered with a salute. Her laugh is a genuine and pure sound as he dropped from view; the black of his costume quickly camouflaged him into the night as he headed home.

Cropping Alix's school picture from the scanned copy of the class he had, he moved it into place next to Mylène in the pseudo classroom he'd developed. "Adrien! Aaaaaadrien," a voice whined in his ear as he attempted to concentrate. " You promised I could have another piece in a half hour. It's been a half hour."

Plagg dramatically fell onto the keyboard as Adrien shifted his mouse back over to the class picture to work on the crop of Sabrina's picture. "Just let me finish this. I have two people left."

"Why is this so important? If you want to know who it is, just ask. That leaves more time for cheese."

Plagg poked the "c" button on the keyboard and Adrien sighed as the picture he was cropping reset. "Plagg."

"Cheese, Adrien. C. H. E. E. S. E." With every letter he chanted, Plagg pushed the key corresponding to the letter. "Do you want me to spell camembert next?"

Adrien got up from the chair and exhaled tiredly, giving in to the whining kwami to cut off a piece of camembert from his recently replenished stash. "You've eaten four times your size in cheese already in the last hour. How aren't you sick?"

"Who cares? Just hand it over, loverboy."

Adrien didn't even have the opportunity to hand Plagg the cheese, it was ripped from his fingers before he'd even turned around. "Jeez. Okay, now can I finish this up? Without interruptions?"

The little black kwami didn't answer as his cheeks were already stuffed full of cheese, so Adrien went back to cropping the final two pictures of Sabrina and Chloé. Sliding them into place on the virtual classroom he'd developed on the graphic program. He knew that whoever Ladybug was, she had to be in close vicinity of him. The things she had said about him made him believe that she had understood him in a way that only someone who actually knew him personally could perceive him. There was also the fact that she'd managed to get to the classroom within moments of the attack starting and it lead him to believe she probably went to school with him. She wasn't someone he probably knew from work. With all this in mind, he knew he didn't really talk with too many people outside of his immediate class, so he figured he'd use that as a starting point. If that proved fruitless he would move outside the classroom.

"So to start, I can eliminate the guys," he says to himself as he started with himself and switched his photo to grayscale from color. One by one, Nino, Max, Kim, Ivan and Nathanaël all lost their color as Adrien eliminated them from contention.

"Next I can probably eliminate anyone who has been akumatized. Ladybug can't purify herself." One by one he went through each of the girls in his class. "Mylène became the Horrificator, so it can't be her. Alix became Timebreaker. Alya became Lady Wifi. That leaves… Chloé, Sabrina, Marinette, Rose and Juleka."

That is still a lot to eliminate, but he knew if he thought about it a little more he should be able to narrow it down even more. For instance, there was a time that Alya had believed Ladybug was Chloé and though he couldn't help but feel a little horrified by the thought, Adrien had followed the lead himself.

Ladybug herself had called him out on it and forced him to protect Chloé because how dare he actually believe that nonsense. Ladybug wasn't Chloé. He'd even go as far as to say, Ladybug wasn't exactly a fan of the blonde either, which probably eliminated Sabrina too, but he wasn't quite ready to exclude her yet.

Opening up a web browser, Adrien pulled up Alya's Ladyblog to search for more information to assist in the elimination process. Taking out a notebook, he started writing down the little bits of evidence he could find from the information provided on the website. Alya's information wasn't much more helpful than the information he had within his head. Although she was constantly on the search for clues as to both Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities, both of them had apparently done an even better job of keeping their identities a secret. There was the textbook that Ladybug had dropped but not much in depth information beyond that. Adrien added the information he knew about her due to his daily interaction with her. She smelled like pastries. She was extremely strong minded. She probably disliked Chloé. She was willing to give interview to Alya. She was shorter than him.

If the changes Plagg made to him when transforming him into Chat Noir were similar to Ladybug's kwami, there wasn't much of a difference between her real self and her disguise as Ladybug. Adrien ripped out another sheet of paper and wrote the four names of the remaining students in his class on top. Sabrina, Marinette, Rose and Juleka. On the first line, he wrote black hair. He put a checkmark beneath Juleka and Marinette and left the other two blank.

Next he wrote blue eyes. Off the top of his head, he couldn't recall what color eyes any of them had, but luckily he had their color photos right in front of him to know for sure. Sabrina's eyes were green. Marinette's were blue. Rose's were blue. Juleka's were brown. He frowned at the results so far. Two for Marinette, one each for Juleka and Rose while Sabrina had none.

Though he was only on the second item, Marinette was leading. He immediately tried to eliminate her because he was with Marinette during the Evillustrator akuma, so it couldn't be her, right? He'd worked with both Ladybug and Marinette that day. Ladybug had sent Chat Noir away from Chloé to protect Marinette on her date with the Evillustrator and Ladybug had shown up later to help him fight.

She'd shown up after Marinette had gotten to safety. For the first time Adrien realized that they were never in the same place at the same time. Ladybug was off on a 'secret mission' during the time he was with Marinette. Marinette wasn't ever around after Ladybug arrived.

Adrien stood up quickly, the computer desk chair rolled out from underneath him from the force of the movement. _Marinette._ Excitement fluttered in his stomach as the realization of what he was uncovering slowly revealed itself. "Calm down," he said to himself as he paced the floor in front of his desk. "It might not be anyone in class because everyone was in the room at the time The Fan arrived. If Ladybug was one of them, where would she transform?"

"Exactly!" He stopped in his pacing, as if he'd just realized something. "Ladybug can't transform in front of everyone. She had to be outside of the classroom before there was danger. The only person who left the room that morning was-"

' _Marinette. Marinette had just gone to the office.'_

"Is it really this easy? Are you really Ladybug, Marinette?" Adrien stood there gaping as he stared at Marinette's school picture in awe. One of his hands reached out to the large monitor to caress the screen where her picture lit up the shadows of his room. "Only Marinette has Ladybug's signature pigtails. Ladybug smells like a bakery because Marinette _lives_ in a bakery. Marinette is a great leader in the classroom and was recently voted class president. Marinette was an amazing problem solver when we took on the Evillustrator, just like Ladybug . Marinette has no issues talking to Chat Noir, but when I approach her as Adrien she seems to stumble over her words…"—just like Ladybug had when talking with him the other day!

Frantically he cut out Ladybug's mask with the graphic program before resizing it to fit on Marinette's face. He just stared at the results for several moments before he brushed his fingers across her cheek in pure giddiness. "All along. You've been there all along. How could I be so blind?"

"You finally found out it was the bakery girl?"

Adrien flinched before turning his attention to Plagg, eyes wide with shock as he absorbed the little kwami's words. "You knew?"

"You didn't? It was obvious. "

Adrien felt gob smacked by the knowledge, even if in retrospect it did seem pretty obvious. "How? How could you possibly know it was her? Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because it's more amusing to watch you scramble like an idiot over the girl that can't even put a sentence together around you," Plagg replied with a dismissive flick of his paw. "The real question is, what are you going to do about it now that you know?"

Adrien's gaze turned back to the screen, heart leaping to life as he stared at the image of the girl on the monitor, nothing but excitement and complete joy at this turn of events. He grinned, never taking his eyes off her as he spoke. "I'm going to make her see me. How? I don't have a clue, but I'll figure it out."

 _Note:_

 _Because it doesn't take a rocket scientist. Get some glasses and use your brains, nerds. Man I love them..._  
 _So what will Adrien do now that he knows?_


	5. Gifts

**Chapter 5: Gifts**

Summary: Marinette ends up with a not so secret admirer.

 **Notes:**

Thanks to my beta readers FullMetalPotterhead and Talonted. Both are amazing and so incredibly helpful. You should all be jealous of how lucky I am to have them.

The day started just like every other school day for Marinette. After eating breakfast with her parents, she returned to her room to work on a new shirt design before she needed to head to school. Tikki fluttered around near her head as she gave Marinette compliments on the fabrics she'd chosen for the shirt. Yet again, she lost track of time in the midst of her creative process and had to grab her bag and purse as she rushed down the stairs and out of the house. She was forced to break out into a sprint in order to make it to school on time.

The final bell rang just as she opened the classroom door, which was a common occurrence in Marinette's life so it wasn't unusual to see the attention of the entire classroom directed on her. Because of this, it took Marinette a moment to realize there was something different about today. Usually, everyone just glanced quickly before their attention returned to whatever they were doing. Today, everyone looked at her expectantly, their gazes never leaving her side as she entered the classroom. Marinette's heart sped up with the whispering going on behind her back, confused by everyone's behavior. She glanced up at Alya, who was giving her a look that clearly tried to frantically communicate something with just her eyes.

Marinette dropped her gaze to her feet and tried to ignore everyone as she ran past Adrien and slipped into her seat. A dozen pair of eyes remained glued to her back as she forced herself to give her attention to Miss Bustier and pretend everyone wasn't acting so strange today. Her view to the front of the classroom was completely obstructed and she realized the real reason the class had stared at her with curiosity.

A floral bouquet sat on the table in front of her chair. A huge glass vase filled to the brim with a dozen dark red roses and greenery blocked everything in front of her face. Marinette's jaw dropped as she sat there in shocked awe at the unexpected gift. Confused, she couldn't understand where it came from.

"The card says it's for you but there's no sender. We already checked to see who it was from," Alya whispered after she leaned over to grab Marinette's shirt. "Is there some mystery man you forgot to tell me about?"

In the last day, two different guys had claimed they wanted to find out who she was. There was no way either of them had already figured it out, right? She glanced up at Adrien, who was also turned around in his chair to see her reaction just like everyone else in class. Marinette's chest tightened as she remembered what he'd said to her just yesterday. There was a twisted mix of anticipation and fear as hope soared within her against all her better judgement.

"Quite the secret admirer you've got there," Adrien said as he inspected the vase in front of her with Nino. "Everyone was hoping you at least might be able to tell us who they are from."

And with just a few words, he _crushed_ her hopes and dreams of finding out they were from him. "I-I'm not—I don't have a clue," she stumbled over her words but the choices were narrowing down quickly. Very quickly.

"Dude was in and out before anyone else arrived this morning," Nino added.

"You have to have a _clue_ about who they came from," Alya insisted as she grabbed the card from the bouquet. She flipped it over to look for a sign of the sender. There wasn't even a picture on the paper, just Marinette's name.

Marinette glanced over the bouquet itself for any indication that would alert her to the identity of the admirer as Alya investigated the card. Beneath the greenery that spilled over the side of the vase, she spotted a clue that was almost better than any signature. A neon green ribbon and a black ribbon were tied together around the vase in a surefire identification of the sender. _Chat Noir_. The excessive display of gaudy affection could only come from one person. She should have realized right away.

The card in Alya's hand didn't have a message or signature attached, but it didn't need either of them. Marinette received his message loud and clear. _He'd found her._

How on _earth_ had he figured it out already? Marinette hadn't even had time to absorb the news she'd learned the night before that she'd run into his alter-ego as Ladybug, much less figure out who was behind Chat Noir's mask. Mere hours had passed and he'd already _uncovered_ her? She groaned loudly, dropping her head to the table without hitting the vase. "I think I know who they are from," she sighed, exhaling as she turned her head to Alya. "I don't want them. Do you want one?"

"Huh?" Alya looked up from the card with a look of puzzlement. Adrien broke out in a coughing fit and turned back to the front of the classroom as Nino quickly patted him on the back. "You don't want them?"

Marinette probably looked as annoyed as she felt but she didn't care. "I'm just going to throw them away," she explained, lifting her head from the table as she spoke to Alya. "They would be better used spreading joy to everyone else."

The rest of the room fell silent at her words, except for the sound of Adrien coughing as he continued to attempt to catch his breath. The class was obviously surprised at the uncharacteristic behavior from their class president. Marinette carefully grasped one of the stems, avoided pricking her fingers on the thorns and pulled the rose out of the vase. A look of disbelief flashed across Alya's face as Marinette handed the flower to her, but she reached out and accepted it from her friend anyway. "Who's the secret admirer?"

Miss Bustier cleared her throat, giving both girls a pointed look as she loomed over them. "As amusing as this is, we really do need to start class." Chagrinned, Marinette removed another flower and handed it up to her teacher with a smile. Miss Bustier just shook her head and chuckled, lifting the flower to her nose to smell before she turned her attention back to Marinette. "You can put them at my desk to get them out of the way during class, if you'd like. You can decide what to do with them at lunch."

Marinette accepted the teacher's offer, taking the vase to the front of the class to place them on the her desk. As she made her way back to her own table, she caught Adrien's eye by accident. He smiled at her, which caused her chest to ache a little as she dragged her own gaze to the ground until she'd passed him. She slumped into her chair with an annoyed sigh, pouting because for a few moments she had thought that it might have been Adrien to have figured out that she was Ladybug. Instead, he looked so happy and curious about the unexpected gift she received, causing her to feel incredibly naïve and optimistic of her hope that the flowers were from him.

A piece of paper scraped the side of her arm. _Of course_ Alya didn't intend to let her off that easily without an explanation. Sliding her hand over the paper, Marinette pulled the note to a concealed area of her table and opened the folded piece of notebook paper. There was one word waiting for her. _'Spill.'_

Exhausted, she dropped her forehead to the table without a clue about what to tell Alya or even where to start. Obviously telling Alya the truth wasn't something that could be done in this situation. _'Hey Alya. So, apparently Chat Noir has decided to start stalking me. Cool, huh?'_ She couldn't say _that_! It would lead to too many questions from Alya that Marinette couldn't answer without putting herself or Chat Noir at risk. She needed to come up with something believable Alya would accept as fact and not push for more information.

Marinette scribbled out a complete lie on the paper about some random guy that kept coming into the bakery and had expressed interest in her, but she hadn't returned those feelings. That the roses she'd received were probably from him. She folded up the note and slid it back across the desk to her best friend. She tried to focus her attention on Miss Bustier as she waited for a response. Instead, she just stared at the back of Adrien's head and neck and daydreamed about what that little patch of skin she could see might smell like. _'I wonder if he'd let Ladybug find out... or is that too creepy?'_

Alya slid the note back over to her and Marinette opened it to see if her best friend had taken the bait or not. _'And yet you've never mentioned this before? He brought you flowers, girl! How can you keep this under wraps so long?'_ She frowned; Alya naturally wasn't going to let it go just at that. She wouldn't be Alya if she had.

She put her pen to the paper and wrote the words, _'I didn't think it was a big deal. It just happened the other day and I wasn't interested in him. He_ _obviously_ _didn't get the message.'_ The message delivered to Alya across the desk, Marinette went back to her favorite hobby during class. She watched Adrien breathe.

Actually, today it was more like she watched Adrien fidget, something out of the norm for him. Unlike Marinette, _he_ usually paid attention to the lessons and didn't get distracted like others in the class but today he couldn't seem to sit still. He leaned over to mess with his bag, looking for something, but he never pulled anything out. He shifted restlessly several times in his chair as if he couldn't get comfortable. He even glanced over his shoulder at her during their lesson, which almost gave her a heart attack.

Alya poked her in the arm with one of her fingers in an attempt to get her attention. Apparently Adrien wasn't the only distracted one in the room, because Marinette hadn't noticed Alya trying to give the note to her for a few minutes. She took it from her friend and read it. _'Is he at least cute?'_

The instinctive response was "No!" but the question made her pause and consider the teenage crime fighter in that sort of view. Chat Noir…wasn't _unattractive_. Chat Noir could very well be considered pretty hot, if she was perfectly honest with herself. Marinette just wasn't interested in him that way though. _'Well he's no Adrien Agreste but he's not bad looking.'_

* * *

Marinette ended up bringing the remainder of the roses home at lunch and gave them to her mother. Alya and Miss Bustier were the only ones in class who had taken any of them off her hands, so she was left with ten roses she didn't want from her stupid partner. Both her mother and best friend were curious about from where she'd gotten them, but Marinette tried to put off an explanation until later. Alya had been especially insistent to discover more information about the sender, and Marinette had gotten lucky that her friend had to go home to feed her siblings today instead of following Marinette home to question her more. She'd probably _never_ be able to answer any of her questions truthfully.

She pulled down the trapdoor leading to her room, welcoming the short break before returning to school. The emotions that welled up inside of her had stirred and festered until they spilled over with the reality that confronted her. _Chat Noir had figured out her civilian identity._ He'd uncovered it pretty quickly too, considering the fact that they'd just discussed things yesterday.

"Hello, Princess."

Marinette screamed as a foot slid off the rung of the ladder she stood on from the shock of the unexpected visitor in her bedroom. Hands gripped the wood tighter as she gained her balance, looking up to see none other than her black clad partner sitting at her computer chair with a self-satisfied smirk on his face. She glared at him as she battled against the desire to punch him in the face. "Y-You!" she snarled, getting to her feet at the top of the ladder.

"I see you got my gift," he grinned, leaping to his feet and out of the chair as she tore across the room after him. Dodging her attack, he leapt off her wall and onto her loft bed-much to her horror. "I brought you another one."

"I don't want anything from you!" she huffed, horrified to find him in her _bedroom_ of all places. With a stamp of her foot, she clenched her fists at her side in an effort to control her temper. "Get off my bed or I'm going to call the cops to arrest you for breaking and entering!"

"I prefer cat burglary," Chat replied, doing the complete opposite of what she'd requested by proceeding to sprawl out on her bed as he watched her with a satisfied smirk. "Call and tell them I'm here to steal your heart."

"Chat," Marinette growled, taking a few steps in his direction. The grin he tossed her way didn't quite reach his eyes and it gave her pause to see the hesitance in his face. Jaw clenched, she inhaled slowly through her nose and out her mouth in order to calm herself down.

" _Marinette_." The way her name fell from his tongue was laced with an abundance of emotions that reverberated through her. It was a reminder of his knowledge about her identity and it irritated her. The affection, reverence and longing he displayed with that single word were a rare moment of vulnerability from her partner. Though he often teased her and seemed to take nothing seriously, this was something he obviously did. "I thought of you the moment I saw it and couldn't help but buy it. It was kind of a spur of the moment purchase and I've told myself to resell it _at least_ a hundred times since that day. For some reason I was never able to do it though. I just... really wanted you to have it and just couldn't think of an appropriate way to give it to you, so I just held onto it for the last two months without knowing why."

" _What_ are you talking about?" Marinette furrowed her brows in confusion about his admission. She couldn't understand what he was talking about. "I don't want _anything_ from you."

He just shrugged, nonchalantly grabbing the stuffed cat pillow on her bed to focus on the stitching of its ears. "It's by your computer."

Curiosity got the best of her as she spotted a large wooden burgundy box sitting at her desk beneath her bed. The color was faded and distressed with a very fragile looking small brass hinge lock holding the whole case together. Hesitantly, she moved beneath the loft and picked it up off the desk to carry it back out to open it on the floor so she could still keep an eye on Chat.

There was a distinct odor in the wood and the entire case felt incredibly fragile. As if it would fall apart in her hands if she handled it too roughly. "How old is this?" she asked, wrinkling her nose as its scent overwhelmed her. It didn't smell bad, but the scent of the wood filled her senses.

"They said it's from about 1885."

She flinched at that date, eyes widening in shock because _what on earth could he have gotten her two months ago that was from 1885?_ Did he find something relating to Chat Noir and Ladybug in the past somewhere? If he'd been holding onto it for her for that long, it was the only possible explanation as he barely knew anything about her. Marinette carefully unlocked the hinge on the box and gently opened each side to expose the gift inside.

The scent made her eyes water as she rested the sides of the box against the floor. Breath trapped in her chest as one of her hands lifted to her mouth in shock from the sight of the present inside. She didn't wipe the tears away because she knew they wouldn't stop.

"I think I knew before I realized I knew," he said quietly as she reached out to touch the fragile contents of the box.

Marinette bit back a sob as questions buried her, gaze flickering to her bed just in time to see him slip out onto her balcony through the trapdoor directly above her bed. She scrambled to her feet and up the loft to follow and stop him, but by the time she reached the balcony, he was no longer in sight.

"I don't want to know. I _don't_ want to know." Marinette slid back down onto her bed as she chanted the sentence over and over. She used the back of her hand to wipe her tears away from her cheeks. If she accepted his words as truth, the implication was something she wasn't sure she could face right now. "I don't want to _know_."

She peeked over the edge of the loft toward the present still resting open on her bedroom floor. The antique child's seamstress toy was well preserved and insanely detailed, she doubted it missed even a single scrap of fabric or accessory it originally came with. Carefully, Marinette dropped from her loft to look over the priceless gift. The miniature seamstress bust was just the perfect size to produce doll clothing. There were scraps of fabric that were in well preserved condition for being over a hundred years old. Small pieces of lace. Numerous hat stands and doll heads to ensure everything fit correctly. She'd never seen anything like it before, let alone known something like this existed but it was absolutely breathtaking and had to have cost a fortune. She couldn't possibly accept something like this from _anyone_.

Which Chat had to have known because he'd said he'd tried to convince himself to resell it a hundred times.

He'd _wanted_ her to have it. It was something he'd purchased _two months ago_ because he believed it would be something she would find value in and cherish.

He hadn't bought it for Ladybug.

 _It had been bought for Marinette._

Notes: Sorry there was such a delay on this chapter. I hope everyone has enjoyed it though.


	6. Rejection

_Notes:_  
 _Thanks to my beta readers Fullmetalpotterhead and Talonted. I'm so appreciative of both of you. You have no idea._

Chapter 6  
Rejection

He'd done it. His heart had pounded so loud he was surprised she couldn't hear it, but he'd done it. He'd given it to her. Adrien yelled, punching his fist in the air as he leapt over the Paris skyline. "Yes!" He giggled to himself, proud of the feat he'd just accomplished. Maybe it could be considered breaking and entering, but it was worth it to see that look on her face again.

Not the shocked face or the face of disbelief. Oh no. Adrien's entire sense of happiness came from that look that screamed _'What are you doing, you idiot cat? I am going to beat the crap out of you for this.'_ The first time was when she'd gotten irritated as she'd realized it was Chat that had given her the flowers.

The look on her face had screamed _'I am Ladybug'_ to him, and he'd choked on his own breath as he tried to stop himself from laughing. He was _right_. His Lady, the l _ove of his life_ , the one who had captured his heart from the very _start_ , had been sitting _behind_ him every day of school this entire time. He hadn't had a single clue.

He had no regrets about entering her bedroom without permission. Getting there and figuring out how to get in had been the hardest part of it. First he had to determine which room was hers, which was actually fairly easy given it was the very top floor and the walls were all painted pink. The windows had caused issues though because they all had bars on them and prevented entry. Adrien had to find another way in or he'd be forced to use the front door. He couldn't just waltz in there unannounced, so that wasn't an option.

He'd literally stumbled upon the trapdoor leading to her room in the dark early hours of the morning as he'd worked his way through his plans for the upcoming day. It was pure luck, something he often lacked too often, that it was unlocked at lunch for him to get inside her room. The flowers were the easy part, and getting her that antique child seamstress kit was just a series of good luck that had gone in his favor.

Dropping into an alleyway next to one of his favorite café's near school, Adrien let his transformation go. Plagg sighed as he fell out of Adrien's ring and into his hands. "Thank you," he said as the little black kwami simply shook his head at him. "I promise you'll have cheese in your paws in just a few seconds. "

"I'd better," Plagg responded as Adrien tucked him safely into his shirt pocket so he could head into the café.

The lunch break was barely half-way over as Adrien purchased himself a ham and cheese sandwich and grabbed Plagg a small chunk of camembert from the store. Taking his items to a nearby park, he sat down in a secluded area away from others and fed both himself and his kwami.

"So _that_ was a disaster," Plagg laughed before swallowing the cheese in a single bite. "You suck at this, kidl."

"I think everything went perfectly," Adrien responded as he unwrapped the paper from around his sandwich. "Let's be real. Marinette isn't interested in Chat Noir like that. I'm not expecting her to be thrilled or to fall right into my waiting hands. "

"Are you kidding me? Did you _see_ her bedroom? She had pictures of you plastered all over _every inch_ of it, Adrien!" Plagg rolled his eyes as he hovered in front of Adrien's sandwich. Very quickly the kwami's attention was pulled to the cheese on the sandwich, and he snatched a small piece of it as Adrien took his first bite. "This should be _the easiest thing you've ever done_! Why are you making it so hard on yourself?"

"You just don't get it, Plagg," Adrien insisted. He understood the point his kwami was trying to make, but Plagg just didn't quite grasp the importance of this to Adrien. "I want someone that can accept _all_ of me. I don't want her to just look at me and see Adrien Agreste, model and classmate. I want her to still choose me even after finding out who I _really_ am."

"You're a huge dork, Adrien. You don't stand a chance." Plagg dodged Adrien's hand as he tried to brush the kwami away from the cheese in his sandwich. "You're setting yourself up for failure. Humans are so stupid."

"As opposed to choosing someone based entirely off of what sort of cheese they can provide you?" Adrien sighed and slumped his shoulders, defeated by what Plagg had said but not giving up. "Listen, I know it would be easier to just come out and tell her the truth, but I can't just do that. I'm too stubborn and selfish. Now that I know about her, I can't unsee it. She's _all there_ and it completely makes sense to me. Marinette is Ladybug and Ladybug is Marinette. Of _course_ they are. There is _no_ other possibility and it's really stupid that I'm only figuring this out now. But I _have_ and suddenly, everything makes _sense_."

Adrien took another bite of the sandwich while Plagg started tugging on the melted cheese within it. The kwami fell to the grass as he successfully broke off a piece of his obsession, leaving a string of the warm food covering his body as he hit the ground. Adrien just smiled and shook his head as he watched Plagg try to pull the sticky cheese off his arms and face. "Plagg, I _know_ I'm doing the right thing. Honestly, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. The more I've gotten to know Marinette these last few months, the more confused I was getting. I felt fickle and started doubting myself and my own feelings. I was in love with this amazing and perfect girl, yet my attention kept straying and more and more Marinette was taking over my thoughts. "

"So you felt like a cheater about your feelings and now you want her to doubt herself?" Plagg deadpanned, licking cheese off his arm.

" _No!_ " Adrien felt his cheeks heat at the accusation. That wasn't what he wanted at all! "We're supposed to be together! Right now, I don't have any doubt at all that we _really_ do belong together. You can't just _tell_ someone that though. If I told her now, I'd _never_ know the truth. I'd always doubt her feelings for me."

"This is why I say humans should just eat their emotions and focus on cheese instead."

Adrien checked the time on his phone, finishing up the last of his sandwich in several large bites. "I'm well aware of your opinion on everything," he answered as he got to his feet. "But I'm running out of time and need to start phase two."

"Phase two? _Adrien._ I'm pretty sure phase one of any plan is supposed to last longer than a _morning_ ," Plagg warned, the kwami frowned up at him as Adrien tucked the kwami back in his pocket. "She's going to hate you if you keep this up. Is _that_ what you want?"

"It's fine. It's _fine._ This isn't from Chat Noir." Adrien headed toward the front of the park, knowing he had just enough time to pick up one last present for the day. Plagg sighed within his shirt and Adrien just ignored his kwami's reservations. Plagg didn't seem to care about this sort of thing at all and there was no one else Adrien could turn to, so he was on his own.

There was a novelty store near the school and Adrien headed straight there as Plagg fell asleep in his shirt. He wasn't exactly sure what he was looking for, but he figured he'd know it if he saw it. Through the aisles of knick knacks and cheap treasures, he searched for something to draw his attention-which wasn't hard. This was the sort of store he hadn't been allowed into since his mother disappeared because of the quality of the items being considered subpar for someone of _'his caliber'_ according to his father. Cheap items that were not meant to last long, but for Adrien, they brought back memories of his mother. He sifted through tiny coin purses, stickers, plastic figurines, candy and countless cheap children's toys until he found exactly what he hadn't known he'd been looking for.

A pencil.

To be exact, it was a neon pink pencil that had no eraser but in bold black writing on the wood expressed the sentiment," **GOOD JOB!"** As if that wasn't tacky enough, the eraser had been replaced by a large matching pink ball of fluff similar to troll hair with a pair of googly eyes glued to it. It was silly and ridiculous but Adrien thought it was absolutely perfect for what he was trying to accomplish.

He grasped the pencil tightly and dropped the proper coins with the cashier before rushing back to school in time to beat everyone back to class. He placed the pencil on Marinette's desk and sat down in his normal spot right in front of her to wait. Slowly his classmates returned from lunch, not giving any attention to the item he'd left on Marinette's desk. She stepped into the room only minutes later, with Alya talking her ear off at her side.

Adrien waited anxiously for her reaction with a smile on his face. Neither Alya or Marinette noticed him as he turned around to speak to them. "What is _that_?" Alya laughed as Marinette picked up the pencil with an look of disgust on her face.

He'd anticipated her annoyance and assumptions and came prepared. "It's—" What he hadn't predicted was how quick her reaction times really _were_. Before he could say anything, she'd snapped the pencil in half with _just_ her fist. "From… _me_."

The look of horror on Marinette's face could only be rivaled by how quickly the blood drained from her cheeks as his words registered. Alya made a choking noise before she turned herself away from their desk so Marinette couldn't see her reaction.

"I-I-I didn't me—oh my gosh! I'm _so_ sorry!" Her eyes shined brightly and Adrien realized to his absolute horror that she was about to _cry_ over this pencil. "I just assumed! Oh! I am the _worst_ and you probably _hate_ me now. I ca—"

" _Marinette!_ It's fine! I should have known. It's my fault for just putting it there. I should have waited until you got here." He had to interrupt her because he couldn't seem to get a word in edgewise with her panicking. "You just seemed upset earlier, and I thought it would cheer you up."

" _Tape!_ I'll get some tape and fix it!"

Adrien grasped her hand as she tried to slip past him to get some tape from Miss Bustier's desk. Tears had just begun to slip down her cheeks, and he racked his brain for something to cheer her up. "Knock knock?"

Marinette blinked at him, befuddled as she held the broken pieces of the pencil to her chest. Her jaw hung open, but no words came out. A moment passed and it was obvious she wasn't going to answer. Alya stepped in and said over her shoulder, "Who's there?"

"Broken pencil," Adrien said, flashing a smile as he gave her hand an encouraging squeeze.

Marinette sniffed and wiped away the moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand as she clung to the remains of the pencil. Tentatively she picked up the joke from Alya. "Broken pencil, who?"

"Ah. Nevermind. It's pointless."

She cracked a smile, which he considered success. "That's… funny."

"Don't lie. It was punbearable," he laughed, knowing full well how bad she considered his jokes.

Her mouth twisted into a grimace, but she lifted her gaze to meet his directly. "Good point. You're _write_ about that. I _wood_ -n't quit your day job."

His chest filled with glee because she'd bantered back with him a little. Unlike his time as Chat Noir with Ladybug, Marinette didn't often do that with him when he was Adrien. He considered that a win. "Not sure if this is a direction you want to be _lead_."

"Stop now," Nino said, sliding into his chair next to Adrien as he arrived in class. "Once you get him started, it's like a switch and there's no end."

"I think you mean _and it's on_ ," Adrien responded, which made all three of his friends groan.

"Turn it off," Marinette insisted with a shake of her head as she tried not to laugh at him. "Please. No puns."

It was almost exactly what Ladybug had said to him in his bedroom, bringing his attention back to what he wanted to accomplish. Marinette's unexpected reaction to the pencil had set in motion more interaction than he'd planned on originally. If he flirted with her as Adrien right now, it might draw her affection away from Chat Noir more than he wanted. He dropped her hand with a smile and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"On _one_ condition," he said, reminding himself that as Adrien—he needed to go slow. "You don't break the pencil I bring tomorrow to replace the one you just obliterated."

"Deal."

* * *

She purposely ignored him as they worked and it made an otherwise easy possession into something much harder than it should have been. Chat Noir got the message loud and clear though. Ladybug was _mad_. Furious, even, and had no intention of interacting with him today. The cancan dancers had surrounded him and, to get out of the way, he launched himself to the top of a building just in time to see Ladybug call for her Lucky Charm. She received a bowling ball and after a moment of figuring out how to use it, she launched it at a street light and watched the ensuing chain reaction trap the akumatized dancer within a fountain. With the dancers legs in the air and unable to touch the ground with her feet, her powers were unusable.

Ladybug retrieved the shoe and broke the sole in order to purify the akuma—and before Chat Noir could even stop her to talk to her—she was gone.

Not a single word was spoken to him.

He hadn't even been needed _at all_.

Frustrated with the situation, Adrien fell back onto his bed and stared at his ceiling after he got out of his shower. The way Ladybug had completely ignored him during their fight, her anger at him over what he'd done... He tried to figure out if there was a better way to do this, but the end result wasn't a relationship he wanted.

Adrien's attention had already been pulled in Marinette's direction because her traits as Ladybug had leaked through her civilian identity when she didn't realize he was around. After all the time he'd spent around Ladybug as Chat Noir, the continual refusal and rejections had weighed on him and left him feeling a little hopeless over the possibilities of a future with her. Marinette had given him hope that maybe he would be able to move on and find interest in someone else, if he could just get her comfortable being around him.

A tap came from his window, and he sat up to find none other than the spotted girl in question on the other side of the glass. He stared for a moment, mentally preparing himself for whatever reason she'd came there. It couldn't be as dire as he imagined in his head, but he had to admit that right now, _anything_ could happen. Adrien crossed the room to open the window and let her in.

"Sorry," she said with a frown, dropping to the floor just inside the window. "I know I probably shouldn't have come here but…"

There was no one else she could talk to about any of this. He knew that but wondered just how far she'd let herself explain before cutting him off with the excuse of giving away too much information. He gave her a smile and sat on the floor across from her. "It's fine. I'm sure finding someone to talk to when you're stressed has to be difficult."

Ladybug sighed and relaxed against the wall before answering. "You have _no_ idea."

"I'm assuming you're here because of what I just read about that last akuma fight on the Ladyblog. It said things were pretty cold between you and Chat Noir tonight," Adrien offered as a topic of conversation. "Must be pretty hard to find someone to talk to when you're fighting with the only person who knows who you are."

She hesitated for a moment before cringing. "Actually, that's sort of the problem. Chat and I have always kept our identities a secret. I always thought it would be best to not know."

"So Chat Noir doesn't know your identity?" Adrien feigned surprise, though he was well aware of that fact. "I would think that would make things difficult for the two of you."

"Surprisingly, it's always seemed to work out fine. He didn't like it and always questioned me to attempt to reveal our identities to each other, but he always backed down and respected my wishes." Ladybug said, staring at the floor. "But he figured it out on his own this week."

"So he beat me, huh?" Adrien joked, but it fell flat when she didn't look up at the comment. His stomach churned with nerves as he asked the question he wasn't sure he wanted to hear an answer to. "How do you feel about that?"

It took her a few moments to put her thoughts together, brow furrowed as she tried to explain her feelings. "I'm _mad_ ," she started, lifting her gaze to meet his eyes head on. "I'm really _angry_ with him right now. It feels like such a huge breach of my trust. The entire time I was out there tonight I just kept telling myself that I can do this on my own. I don't _need_ him."

It stole his breath away, the pain those words inflicted on his body rivaled a thousand papercuts and it _devastated_ him. She'd ripped open the strongest of his insecurities and confirmed it as true, pouring salt onto an already stinging wound. He knew uncovering her identity was a huge risk to their relationship, but he hadn't anticipated the extent of her anger. The words he wished to say locked behind the constriction of his lungs and a tied tongue. Adrien wanted to resolve the conflict immediately, but he couldn't. She didn't know _he_ was Chat Noir, nor did she seem to have any interest in finding that out.

She didn't want the part of him that was Chat Noir and that rejection _shattered_ him.

* * *

 _Notes: Sorry not Sorry. They both have some massive faults that need to be worked on here. Obviously since this was such a quick update, I was very motivated and excited to get this done. I'm so appreciative of the comments and kudos. If you want to follow me on tumblr at sariedust, I'm always looking for new fandom friends to follow and talk with. I also have a birthday this weekend so send fanart because I can only write and want more Ladrien goodness. Or any of the OT4._


	7. Frustration

_Notes:_

 _Thanks to my dear beta's Fullmetalpotterhead and Talonted. Thank you for all your time._

Chapter 7: Frustrated

"You don't really mean that, do you?"

There was a thread of hurt in the way that Adrien asked the question that deflated most of her irritation with her partner. "No," she responded with a sigh. "I _want_ to, but I don't."

She might be irritated with him, but she'd never take it that far.

"Well that's good," Adrien said with a calming smile. "Maybe it's bad of me to admit this considering my own feelings, but he's pretty much the only person I'd step aside for when it comes to you."

"What?" Marinette flinched, her heart squeezing in her chest at his words. "We aren't like that! At all!"

"Which is a shame because the two of you are really cute together."

As if this day couldn't get any worse, her crush was shipping her with Chat Noir.

"Listen, you don't know what it's like to be partners with him. He's a huge flirt, I've met him and interacted with him as both the _other_ me and the Ladybug me and both times he didn't shut up with the flirting," Marinette bit out, annoyed at having to explain all this to Adrien of all people. "I don't really believe he's serious about me in that way."

"Maybe he just really likes all of you," Adrien shot back as he leaned forward with a cheesy grin on his face. Marinette instinctively prodded him in the forehead with a red clad finger to push him away, not even realizing she'd done it until after he'd started laughing. She quickly pulled her hand away from his face as if her finger had been burned, holding it tightly against her chest.

Heart pounding a cadence in her ears, she just stared as he smiled at her. For a split second she'd genuinely thought he was Chat Noir, which was utterly ridiculous because he was _Adrien Agreste_ and there was absolutely _no way_. The only similarities were they were around the same age and had _similar_ looks, their personalities were like night and day. The tension in her shoulders relaxed a second later as she was able to separate the two of them in her brain.

"So...you're mad that Chat figured you out. How are you going to feel about it when I do?" Adrien's gaze shifted away from hers as he spoke and Marinette couldn't stop the frown that pulled at her face.

"I'm not sure," she responded, realizing she hadn't exactly thought about it until that very moment. She'd been more focused on the fact that he _liked_ her-or at least Ladybug-to think about how he wanted to uncover her identity. "Worried, I guess?"

"Worried? Why worried?"

She hesitated a moment before answering. It was difficult to admit her weaknesses, especially to someone like Adrien who had no faults at all. "A few reasons. I mean, it could put you at risk to my enemies or you could be disappointed at what you find out."

"I'm pretty sure being with you like this would be a lot more dangerous," Adrien said with a soft smile, hand reaching out to touch her face. "That's why I'm trying to find out who you are. If it were discovered that Ladybug was dating Adrien Agreste, I'm sure it would be dangerous for me. But if Adrien Agreste starts dating a really awesome civilian girl, you're going to have to deal with the paparazzi. Which you're used to already."

"But...what if..."

Adrien interrupted her thoughts with a single question. "Was Chat Noir disappointed?"

"Huh?"

"Was Chat Noir disappointed when he discovered who you were?"

Marinette lifted her face, confused at Adrien's question. She had to think about that question for a minute, but in the end just shook her head. No. He hadn't been disappointed. She wasn't sure why that mattered to Adrien though.

"Then why do you think I'll be?"

"Because you're Adrien!" she cried, the answer obvious. Adrien Agreste couldn't possibly be happy finding out that Ladybug was Marinette Depain-Cheng. It wasn't possible. He had barely gave her the time of day when she was around him as Marinette, so for him to discover that the girl he liked was the same dorky girl that sat behind him in class and couldn't even put two sentences together was a disaster in the making.

"So it's okay that I find out who you are, but not Chat Noir? As happy as that makes me, I don't think that's very fair."

Marinette worried her lower lip between her teeth. "It's different with you. I know you...I don't think you'd spill my secret out to everyone just like that."

"You know me?" The pause before Adrien answered was almost too much to take. There was a sense of foreboding and Marinette instinctively dreaded what was coming next. "I'm not sure about that. There are a lot of things about me that no one knows. That you'd trust me with this information more than your partner, the person that literally puts his life on the line for you on a daily basis-isn't that sort of messed up?"

When he put it that way, Marinette couldn't help but feel defensive as the anger that she'd felt the previous day stirred within her again. "It's not like that. Chat Noir-well he's-"

"Haven't you wanted to figure out who he is, ever?"

There was something in Adrien's voice when he asked that question that deflated all of her indignation and shredded her defensiveness. Marinette exhaled a frustrated breath as she gave up and faced the part that had her so frustrated. "That's the problem. I did try. I don't have a clue..."

"So, you have tried to figure it out?" The look on Adrien's face was brighter than sunshine as he leaned forward in her direction in anticipation of what she'd discovered.

She pouted, forcing herself to look away from him before speaking. "He figured out who I am in just a few hours. I thought I'd done such a good job hiding my identity but he uncovered it overnight. Overnight!"

"You're mad at him because you can't figure out who he is, aren't you?" Adrien laughed as he forced her to face the reality of her anger. Even if she would still deny that was the reason why she was mad at him. "Maybe Chat Noir just paid much closer attention to you."

"I doubt that," she insisted, but even as she denied it she knew it was true. A quick glance at Adrien out of the corner of her eye verified that he knew the truth as well. With an exaggerated huff she climbed into his window to slip back out into the night. "I can't believe you're siding with that stupid cat."

"I'd never. He's my competition." Adrien stepped up to the window and leaned against the sill as she unhooked her yoyo from her belt. "Be careful, Ladybug. I'll see you soon."

"Good night, Adrien," Marinette leaned forward to kiss his cheek and with a zip of her yoyo she was gone.

* * *

It was a gorgeous day outside and perfect for the two girls plans to eat lunch in the park with hardly a cloud in the bright blue Paris sky. That the boys of their class had made plans to play frisbee at that same park might have been a driving force, if they were honest with themselves.

Marinette unwrapped the sandwich her mom had packed for her as she watched Kim toss the frisbee in Max's direction. "So did you see the Ladyblog lately? Everyone is abuzz with their theories on why Ladybug and Chat Noir were having a lovers spat last night."

Shocked, Marinette inhaled a small piece of bread that quickly found itself stuck in her throat and reduced her to involuntary coughing to dislodge it from her airways. Her eyes watered as she grabbed a bottle of water and tried to get a quick drink in between her coughs. "W-Wha? Alya!" Another couple of coughs and Marinette tried to speak again. "L-Lovers spat? Why would you think that it was a _lovers_ spat? Why would you think they were _dating_?"

"Why _wouldn't_ you think they were dating?" Alya gave her a look of disbelief, as if she couldn't understand what she was hearing. "They _flirt_. Not even just a _little_ either. We're talking _all the time_. In the middle of battle, no matter _what_ is going on."

"They _do not_!" Horrified with Alya's assessment of her relationship with her partner, Marinette was a little too insistent for someone who Alya wouldn't consider a giant fan of the superhero duo. "He flirts with m- _her_! It's entirely one way! If anything was going on last night, it was probably her getting tired of _his_ constant flirting."

"No way, that cat is entirely wrapped around one of her fingers. She says jump, he'd ask _'How high, my Lady.'_ " Alya gave an amusing impression of the masked cat which made Marinette giggle. "See? You can tell she enjoys it. They have a really playful chemistry and the flirting is just a part of it. It had to be something else."

"Maybe-"

" _Marinette!_ Watch out!"

Her attention pulled away from Alya and toward the boys just in time to see the frisbee heading straight for the two of them. Marinette crossed her arms across her face to protect herself when a flash of blue and white dove across what little vision she had given herself to intercept the disk in mid air before falling to the ground in front of her.

"No way! Nathanaël! Where did you learn to toss! That was nowhere near me!"

"Sorry," Nathanaël dropped his chin to his chest as he apologized to Kim.

"That's _my man_! Adrien Agreste with a _stellar_ interception _and_ saving the day of two _amazing_ ladies." Nino jogged over and dropped a hand down to Adrien. The model gave his friend a grin before accepting it to let Nino pull him to his feet.

"Sorry about that. We'll try to be more careful." Adrien dusted himself off and jogged back to his friends as he gave the girls a smile over his shoulder.

"Prince Charming with a beautiful save," Alya whispered into Marinette's ear.

The noise that Marinette released was a strong mix of a squeal and a giggle. "Did you see that, Alya?" Her knees bounced up and down and she wiggled in her seat excitedly. "Did you _see_ that?"

"Totally missed it. I was only sitting. _Right. Here._ "

"That was such an amazing catch! It was like time slowed down just as-"

"Kim!" Ivan shouted a warning which drew Marinette's attention from what just happened to her and back to the game the boys were playing. Things were apparently getting a little too competitive out there because Marinette looked up to see Kim collide with Ivan as they went after the same throw at the same time.

It wouldn't have been a big deal, but the two of them were a little too close to where Mireille was planting some flowers. They didn't land on her, thankfully, but they did fall on to several large flats full of unplanted flowers.

"I am the victor!" Kim announced as he held the frisbee above his head and got to his feet. "MVP! Right here!"

Marinette couldn't hear much of what was being said, the voices that spoke had dropped to a normal level and she was too far away. Kim immediately walked back toward the rest of the boys and left behind Ivan who had taken the brunt of the impact from the fall. Marinette started to get to her feet to check on him, but Adrien and Nino hurried to his side and she knew they had everything under control. She watched as they checked him for injuries and moments later the three of them ran back onto the field again and Marinette went back to her lunch.

She'd barely had time to take another bite of a sandwich when Alya shoved her phone in Marinette's face. She screwed up her face as she tried to see what was on the screen with the slight glare from the sun reflecting off the glass. "What am I watching?"

"Last night's footage from the Ladyblog," Alya responded, sliding across the seat until her hip rammed painfully into Marinette's side so they both could watch. "See? She's purposely ignoring him. Like I said, there's trouble in paradise."

Marinette wasn't sure she'd call it paradise, but whatever. "So, they had a fight. People do that. That doesn't mean they are dating."

"But it does mean they might be splitting up. No more of the dynamic duo. That would be-"

"It doesn't mean that _either_ ," Marinette interrupted. Chat Noir and her would always be partners. What was Alya even thinking? "You're letting your imagination-"

The ground suddenly shook beneath her feet and the two friends eyes widened in shock as they stared at each other. "Did you feel that?" Marinette asked, knowing the answer from the way Alya mirrored her expression.

"Is that an earthq-" Before Alya could even ask the question, the ground exploded on the playing field. Vines shot out of the dirt and snared each of the boys in their grasp as they screamed in shock. Marinette shoved Alya underneath the picnic table and took off. She could hear Alya call her name, but figured her best friend would get distracted trying to obtain whatever footage she could get of the akuma possession of the day. Sure enough, by the time Marinette found a tree to transform behind, Alya was already video taping.

Within seconds, Tikki had transformed Marinette into Ladybug and she hurried back to the scene to see what she was facing today. Immediately Marinette was forced to dodge a vine that shot across the space between them. "You won't be able to dodge me forever, Ladybug."

"Mireille," Marinette said, identifying her school mate even after sporting an outfit that looked like it was fashioned entirely out of wood and leaves and a new bright green shade of hair. "We can help you fix the damage."

"It's too late, I'm not Mireille. I'm Green Thumb. I won't forgive them for trampling over everything. They will become one with nature forever! Everyone will!" Green Thumb laughed as she picked up one of the damaged plants and removed it from it's pot. Slowly the damaged flower perked back to life and started to grow. And grow. "Soon I'll have a garden fit for a ladybug."

The way the daffodil continued to grow without a sign of stopping left Marinette without a doubt that eventually she would be the size of a Ladybug in this garden. Yanking out her yoyo, she turned her focus to the victims who were calling for her. The boys from her classroom. Adrien.

"Ladybug, see if you can cut us loose," Adrien called when her gaze landed on him. Marinette zipped her yoyo onto a nearby existing tree and quickly swung to his side. "The longer we stay here the thicker it's getting."

"They are the centerpoint of my garden," Green Thumb announced, appearing on a vine above them. "The Tree of Life. It will be the largest tree in the world and have the most perfect fertilizer in existence. Those who disrespect nature."

Her gaze connected with Adrien's, identical looks of horror graced their faces and Adrien struggled against the thick vines that had captured him while Marinette attempted to pull them away from his body. Green Thumb laughed and jumped off of what Marinette previously thought was a vine to continue work on her garden. The vine was definitely starting to shape into an early tree branch.

"It's too thick. Let me see if the string of my yoyo will do some damage." Marinette moved back, able to break the small vines that had formed over her feet as she stood there. She aimed for the small branch above his head in hopes that it was small enough still to break.

The test failed, leaving Marinette feeling a little hopeless. A little irritated too. Where was that stupid cat? This was his department. One strike with cataclysm and they would all be free. "I'm sorry, I can't get you loose. Chat should be able to get you out once he gets here. I'm sure he'll be here any minute."

Adrien gave a sardonic laugh as she gathered her yoyo up. "Yeah. Chat. I'm sure he'll be here any second."

"Dude. We have a problem over here!" Nino yelled, voice panicked. "My foot! I can't feel my _foot_."

Nino was a lot further away than he'd been when they'd gotten captured and the tree continued to grow as she moved to his side.. The vines had spread out across the lawn and thickened to the point that they covered about a ten foot diameter. The base where each of the boys were captured definitely resembled the roots of a tree more clearly now. The areas closest to the ground had begun to harden from an immature greenstick of the vines to the familiar texture and color of a tree trunk. Slowly the transformation was making itself through each vine and turning everything it met with it.

Including Nino's foot.

The rest of Nino's body would follow. As would all of their bodies. Dread filled her as she glanced around in search of any sign of her wayward partner. She couldn't help them unless she was able to stop Green Thumb. "Hang in there. Chat will be here soon. Can you move the rest of your body?"

"Well, I'd shake my head no but my head won't move," Nino gave a shaky laugh that was unable to hide how scared he really was. She glanced behind his head to see that the wood had already started to grow into his skin. If Chat didn't get here soon there might not be anything either of them could do to help them.

A woman's scream ripped through the air and Marinette flinched. She'd been so focused on the current victims to worry about any new ones. "I've got to go stop her." But first she needed to make sure Chat Noir was on the way. She flipped open the communicator portion of her yoyo and called him.

There was no response.

"Ladybug!" Marinette looked over in Adrien's direction as she flipped the communicator closed, only to meet a pair of sparkling green eyes gazing back at her. " _Leafing_ already? _Wood_ you believe me if I said I think the akuma is in her gardening gloves?"

She gave an amused sigh, shaking her head as she looked for a perch for her yoyo to grasp. "Thank you," she responded, surprised to find that the annoying puns made her feel more at ease. And made her really miss Chat.

Another scream, this time a child, came from the merry go round area so Marinette aimed toward a nearby tree and zipped across the park. Flowers six feet tall littered the ground between them. Alya continued to video tape, luckily from a safer distance as the tree roots had overtaken the picnic table. Adrien's pencil was probably destroyed for a second time she couldn't help thinking, but immediately felt guilty about when she realized why there was screaming at the ride. Green Thumb had decided to create some garden statues and turned several of them into cement.

Without a sign of Chat Noir on the way, she guessed she was going to have to do this one on her own for real this time. She could do it, no problem, but for some reason it made her feel tense and unsure. He'd always been there. Eventually. To be honest, usually he was the first one there and waiting for her.

"Lucky Charm!" Marinette yelled as she tossed the yoyo into the air and waited for whatever item her powers gave her. In her hand fell, of all things at that moment, Chat Noir's tail. "I guess you came after all, Kitty."

Green Thumb turned around with a big grin toward Ladybug, but Marinette didn't care. At least her attention was away from the mother protecting her two toddler boys. "You'd be the perfect statue to have in my garden. Much more realistic than the _other_ one of you," she giggled as she made her way around the merry go round. The mother picked up her children and ran out of the park as fast as she could. Too bad it was too late for the mother and child that had been transformed before them.

"I'm not an easy one to catch," Marinette said with as much confidence as she could muster without actually seeing how Green Thumb activated her powers. When she lunged at Marinette a moment later with her hands out, it was easy to guess it was via touch and so she dodged accordingly and jumped on the carnival ride with Green Thumb hot on her heels.

Clinging tightly to the tail in her hand, she looked around as she ran to see what drew her attention. As soon as she spotted the emergency shut off lever, she knew what she needed to do. With a toss of her yoyo, she yanked back as hard as she could once the string wrapped around it. With the knowledge that it was coming, she braced herself for the hard stop. Green Thumb on the other hand, tumbled to the floor of the ride and that was when Marinette pounced to tie her hands together with Chat's tail.

Marinette removed the glove that housed the akuma and tore the fabric to release it before capturing it. "Bye bye little butterfly," she said as released the purified butterfly into the air. Finally she leaned over and untied Mireille's hands before throwing Chat's tail into the air to bring everything back to normal.

She looked for him, even though she knew he wasn't there. Marinette's chest felt hollow and the sense of loneliness was something she couldn't shake. There was no one else there to celebrate the results of their hard work. She'd needed his help today and he hadn't been there. She had managed to complete the job off on her own but it felt different. Empty.

Adrien, Nino and the rest of the boys from class were running over as well as Alya from her hiding spot but right now Marinette needed to get out of there. Maybe she'd finally pushed him too far and he'd given her exactly what she'd assumed she'd wanted. Maybe she actually hurt him this time.

He'd never missed a fight.

The notification of the loss of a spot on her earrings spurred her into motion before everyone else arrived. They could help Mireille, she didn't need to stay around for that. Quickly, she swung out of the park and released her transformation. An exhausted Tikki rested safely in her hands as Marinette slid against the park wall to the ground.

"Marinette?"

She swallowed some of her pride in order to face her kwami. "He didn't come today."

Tikki frowned, obviously not happy with this news. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Marinette."

"What if he doesn't come back? I wasn't nice to him at all last time. _I_ wouldn't come back if I was in his shoes." Marinette hugged her knees as she cradled her kwami in her hands.

"If you just talk to him, I'm sure he'll understand."

Marinette gave a self-depreciating laugh at that. "I am the worst person in the world. In order to talk to him, I'd have to find him," she exhaled and buried her face against her knees in shame. "I don't know anything about him. He found me in just a couple of hours based off information he's picked up from the short time we've known each other. But me? I can't think of a single thing that would help me. If he's given me any clues, I didn't care to notice them. I put my life in his hands every single day, but I couldn't even tell you his favorite food. I can't find him to talk to him because I was a horrible partner and friend. If he's gone, it's what I deserve."

* * *

 _Notes:_

 _Thanks lovely readers. Feedback is love so keep it coming._


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